Rose Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone
by Duvainthel
Summary: What if Harry Potter was a girl - Rose Potter? Will she make the same choices? Will everyone react to her te same way? Rose Potter is just an ordinary girl. Or that is what her aunt and uncle want her to be. She discovers that there is more to her than meets the eye and before she knows it she's on a train towards a wild adventure. I do not own Harry Potter nor it's universe.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

With a vision of green light burned into her eyes Rose Potter woke with a start.

"GET UP!"

She growled and buried her head underneath her pillow. She really really didn't want to get up. She knew what day it was today.

"Are you up yet?" Her aunt's voice sounded through the door.

"Almost, aunt."

"Well hurry up you need to prepare breakfast! Don't mess it up!"

Rose grunted, of course, it needed to be perfect for her cousin.

"Did you say something?" an angry voice demanded.

"No, no, I'm coming." Rose hurriedly said. She heard her aunt walk away and sighed. She slowly started to put on her clothes.

Ten years she had lived here, with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Petunia, Vernon and Dudley. Her family, if you can call it that. Rose had been put under their 'care' since she was a baby. She had never been under the pretense that they were her parents, oh no, absolutely not. It was made perfectly clear early on, that her parents were dead and she should be eternally grateful that they took her in. They died in a car crash 'because of their own stupidity' and Rose had the scar to prove it. They had thrown her in a cupboard under the stairs and never made her feel wanted. Only as a burden, something they didn't want in their house. Rose looked in a shard of mirror she managed to steal when Dudley had broken one of Petunia's mirrors. A scar in the form of a lightning bolt was etched in her forehead. The only tie Rose had to her parents. The Dursleys didn't give her anything else. She never saw a picture, never heard anything about her parents. The only thing she knew is that they died and her mother was the sister of aunt Petunia. When she asked about anything else she always got the same answer.

"Don't ask questions!"

She looked at her reflection and sighed. Rose had auburn hair, always with a reddish healthy shine in it. Her hair fell to her elbows and didn't have any form what so ever because of the curls that made it look messy even if she combed it. She had some freckles around her nose. But they were only clearly visible in the summer. Her eyes were light blue sometimes even grey. She was skinny, very skinny, because she never got as much food as the rest of the family. Rose sighed again and started combing her hair. Also with a hairbrush that Petunia wanted to throw away. Rose suspected though that she looked like her mother. She'd sometimes catch a glimpse of aunt Petunia watching her with a look in her eye. It took Rose years to name the look in her eyes – nostalgia. She had only been able to name it recently, because uncle Vernon was talking about his school years and he had the same kind of look in his eyes.

Aunt Petunia was also the only one that had shown some kindness to her. It was rare and in little things. Petunia did her best to hide it as much as she could. Like the shard of mirror, Rose had eyed it with longing and Petunia had caught her glance, she had left the room for almost 15 minutes for no apparent reason. Giving her time to steal a piece. The same with the hairbrush. She had pushed it in her hands and commanded her to throw it away. Even though it was a perfectly fine hairbrush and a new one at that. Aunt Petunia exclaimed that she didn't like the feel of it and started to use her old one again.

One time when Rose had dropped a glass of beer for Vernon, he had knocked the wind out of her and thrown her into her cupboard. Crying for 20 minutes because of the sting in her cheek, Petunia had come in her cupboard. Her eyes had flashed to her red cheek and the tears in Rose's eyes, she had sat down beside her and started caressing her hair. Shushing her to be quiet.

In little things and very rarely Petunia had shown a small bit of affection towards her. Otherwise she still felt their scorn daily, even from her.

"Rose!"

The tone of her voice told Rose that her patience was being tested and she hurried out of her cupboard. She started on the bacon and eggs for breakfast. The table was overloaded with presents and when Dudley came in he immediately started counting them. Spoiled little brat that he was. Rose would have been happy with even one present but of course she never got one. Although aunt Petunia always seemed to suspiciously notice that her clothes were getting too small around her birthday. Never on her birthday but always a day or two before it of behind it. They always went to a second use shop but Petunia seemed to guide her to the best clothes. Exclaiming that the rest seemed filthy and she didn't dare to wash those clothes. Rose had overheard a conversion once with Vernon who found it suspicious that even in a second use shop it was quite pricy. Petunia dismissed it by saying that they didn't have anything else.

Rose snapped back to reality when Dudley started to make a fuss about the fact that he had less presents than the year before that.

Rose rolled her eyes. Spoiled brat. She carefully straightened her face and looked at her cousin. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. A younger copy of his father. With a poker face she put her attention to the food again. She learned to control her face at a young age. If she dared to look at a member of her family with any negative emotion shown, they knocked the wind out of her and called her an ungrateful brat.

Rose carefully put the breakfast on the table where she could find room between the presents. She ate her breakfast quietly, trying to ignore Dudley who was opening his presents.

The phone rang and Petunia went to get it.

Dudley had opened the half of his presents when she returned with a worried look on her face. She eyed Vernon carefully and that gave Rose enough of a warning to hurry up with her breakfast before things went south ways.

"Vernon honey, bad news. Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her." Petunia nodded towards Rose. Roses heart leaped. Every year for Dudley's birthday or any event they shipped her to mrs. Figg. A mad old lady who lived two streets away. She adored her cats and the house smelled funny. She'd show pictures of cats for hours which had made Rose officially immune against the cuteness of cats.

"We can try my sister, Marge."

"Don't be ridiculous, she hates the girl, Vernon."

"What about your friend, Yvonne?"

"She's in Majorca."

Rose started to get excited. Maybe she would be left home alone. She never got left alone. She would be able to watch television or even read some of aunt Petunia's books. Since she could read she'd been eying them with a longing that gave her a pit in her stomach. She knew better to propose this herself though. They would dismiss it immediately because it was her idea and it would please her.

They continued discussing it, even her staying in the car came up but Vernon would have none of it because it was a brand-new car. Petunia was the one who suggested her staying at home. Roses heart leaped. Vernon dismissed it out of fear she would blow it up. And her heart sank immediately. What was she thinking anyway? They would never leave her alone.

Dudley had been listening and started putting on a scene. Rose had to use all her willpower not to throw him a disgusted look. This was his way to get what he wanted, throwing a scene and fake crying.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

"I… don't… want… her… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Rose a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. And Rose started to think about other things to control her anger.

Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.

A half an hour later Rose couldn't believe how lucky she was. They had decided that the best thing was to just take her to the zoo as well. For the first time of her life she was going to the zoo.

Before they departed uncle Vernon took her aside.

"I'm warning you now, Girl — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

Rose nodded.

There was no use telling them, promising them she wouldn't do anything. Because somehow, stuff, weird stuff happened around her, and nobody believed her when she tells them she didn't do anything. After a while she stopped believing it herself. One time aunt Petunia was tired of how messy and curly her hair was. Although Rose suspect it was because she reminded her to much of her mom. Anyway, she had taken the scissors and cut off almost all her hair, except her bangs to hide that 'awful' scar. Rose had cried herself to sleep, horrified of the reactions the students would give her the next day. Next morning, to her surprise, all her hair had grown back. She would never forget the horror on aunt Petunia's face. She had locked her up in the cupboard for a week after that.

One time she was fleeing from Dudley and his gang. She had tried so hard to get away and suddenly she was on the rooftop. The Dursleys had received a letter from school that she shouldn't climb buildings. She had tried to explain that all she did was jump to hop the fence but they wouldn't hear it and they locked her up in her closet. By that time, Rose had learned that she was the cause of the weird stuff and sometimes she would invite it. Even embrace it. One time, aunt Petunia had gotten an awful pink sweater with a unicorn on it from one of her friends. She tried to give it to Rose for school. Rose was again horrified by what the girls at school would think and she started wishing the sweater would be too small. Urging the strangeness to save her. And it did. The sweater shrank until it was only big enough for a toddler. Luckily, she wasn't punished for that one. Petunia though it must have been too small to begin with.

This time though she promised herself nothing would happen. She'd gladly put up with her cousin and his friend to finally go to the zoo once.

It was beautiful weather, the sun caressing Roses skin. She was excited because the sun would make her freckles come out and she liked them.

Once arrived, they stopped at a cart to get ice-cream. Rose even got one too. Ok given, it was only because the lady had already asked her before they could leave and it was a water pop with lemon. But Rose didn't care, she liked it.

She was amazed by all the animals she got to see and at lunch, she even got to eat a waffle. Dudley didn't like his waffle because it didn't have sprinkles, so Vernon bought a new one and aunt Petunia gave Rose the other one. She didn't want to waste the money she said. Vernon answered that is was wasted because she was eating it, but she got to eat it anyway. Rose was happy. This was the first time in her life that she felt happiness. Of course, it couldn't last.

After lunch, they went to the reptile house. The place where it all went wrong.

They were looking at all the snakes and lizards and Rose felt a weird connection to these animals. Dudley loved to knock on the windows to make them move and Rose sickly remembered all the times he would knock on her door when he knew she wasn't permitted to go out of her closet.

She clenched her fists in anger and felt sorry for the animals.

They arrived at a boa constrictor who was sleeping. Dudley kept knocking on the window to wake him up.

"Dad make him move!"

Vernon knocked on the window as well, sharp and rapidly. Rose had to look away to keep her wits. The boa lazily lifted its head and then went back to sleeping.

"Boring!" they moved on.

Rose approached it and looked at its card. He came from Brazil, born and grown in a cage. It's whole life behind glass.

"I know what it's like little guy. I wish I could do something for you."

To Roses surprise the Boa lifted its head and slithered towards her.

"You can, jussssst let me out."

Rose raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"How can I do that? I'm just a visitor."

Before the boa could react, a shout startled Rose.

"DUDLEY LOOK AT WHAT THE SNAKE IS DOING!"

Rose got knocked out of the way and landed hard on the floor. She looked up and saw how Dudley had his hands pressed against the glass. He must have pushed her. That was it, she was fuming and she wished she could put Dudley in a cage.

That was it, she should have kept her cool and she didn't with dire consequences.

Suddenly the glass disappeared. Since Dudley was leaning against it, he fell right into the cage.

The boa playfully napped at his feet and Dudley screamed, crawling into a corner. The boa left the cage and with another blink the glass was back.

The boa slithered towards Rose who was stunned.

"Yesssss. Thank you missssstressssss." And with that the boa left, while people were running away, screaming.

Rose looked back up and she saw aunt Petunia watching her with cheer horror on her face. Dudley was knocking on the glass, screaming in fear. Tears streaking his face and the zoo employees hurried over to free Dudley. It would have been quite comical but it wasn't. All Rose could see was how Petunia signaled to Vernon and how Vernon turned red with his vein popping out.

What have done? She thought to herself.

And sure enough, as soon as Dudleys friend left, Vernon pulled Rose by her hair and dragged her over to her cupboard. He slammed the door.

"Stay!"

Rose silently cried and cursed her family once more. Like she had done a lot of times in the time she lived with them.

When she was little she always wished that her parents would pick her up and say it was all a joke. A long joke. Later she wished that some other relative would pick her op. A long lost aunt on her father's side. But nothing.

Although sometimes she thought people would recognize her on the street. She long though they were just staring because she looked malnourished. Until someone had stopped walking dead in front of her and bowed. They were shopping for Dudley at the time. Petunia had furiously asked if she knew that man. Rose swore that she didn't. After that they were dragged outside and they went to another shop. On her way to school an elderly woman had waved at her happily from the bus. And the weirdest time was a bald man who took her hand and kissed it while bowing. Then he continued walking down the street. Each time Rose was totally stunned and afterwards she wished she had asked them to take her away from her horrid family.

She felt so alone. Even at school she had no one to confide in. The Dursleys told the school she had a mental disorder which caused her to lie all the time. And since Dudley went to the same school Dudley told every student that she was mental and stupid. Of course, no one dared to stand up against him, especially not for weird Potter.

Why me? Rose fell asleep while tears were still escaping her eyes.

This was her worst punishment yet. By the time she could come out of her closet, school was over and Dudley had broken half of his presents.

School was over but it didn't make a difference for Rose. Dudley and his friends were always at home, pestering her.

For that Rose always tried to be out of the house as much as possible. Avoiding everyone and trying to enjoy some of her freedom.

She saw a tiny light of hope thought. In September, she would go to secondary school in another school then Dudley. For the first time in her life he wouldn't interfere with her getting any friends. Dudly would go to the same private school as his father and Rose is going to a local public school. She didn't care, she was happy she would be free of Dudley.

Dudley already got his school uniform and it sadly came with a cane. Which he was carrying around all the time now. One more thing she needed to dodge.

One morning Rose was greeted by a horrible smell in the kitchen. It came from a tub. Rose went to inspect what is was and her heart fell. She already knew what it was but she asked anyway.

"Aunt Petunia what's in the tub?"

"You school uniform." Petunia said to her coldly. She had barely spoken to Rose since the zoo. As always when a 'freak' accident happened around Rose.

Rose's heart fell even deeper.

"Are you dying it?"

"Yes, I'm dying some of your clothes. They will look just like the uniform."

Rose highly doubted that and her throat tightened when she realized that her hope at any friend was washed away in that tub. She had some difficulty swallowing her toast while imagining the reactions of her classmates to her uniform.

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came into the kitchen both with disgusted looks on their faces when they smelled the clothes. Dudley was busy banging his cane against the table and Vernon was reading his paper when they heard the click and flop of letters arriving.

"Dudley, go get the mail."

"Let Rose do it.

"Rose go get the mail."

Rose sighed not even bothering to argue. She was just out of her closet. She didn't want to be put back in. She went to the front door and found the mail on the mat. She casually looked through them and her heart stopped. There was a letter addressed to her. No mistake possible.

Mrs. R. Potter

The cupboard under the stairs

4 Privet drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

The letter looked old and was heavy. It wasn't made from normal paper but out of parchment. There was no stamp nothing to indicate the who the writer was. Trembling she turned the envelope over and it was sealed with purple wax. It bared a coat of arms, a lion, snake, an eagle and a badger all surrounding a large letter H.

"Hurry up girl."

Rose panicked, she knew they would take it away the instant they knew she had it. On her way to the kitchen she passed her cupboard and she slid the envelope through the crack under the door.

"Here you go."

"Did you open one of them?"

"No."

Vernon eyes her with suspicion. Rose acted as normal as she could. After breakfast, she went outside without stopping at her cupboard like she always does. The whole day the letter was in her mind, she could wait to open it but she restrained herself. If they find it, she was sure she wouldn't get to read it. Maybe it was a long lost relative like she had always dreamed. They wouldn't let her go, not because they loved, she wasn't foolish, but because of the money. She often wondered why they would keep her even when they hated her so much. Then she read about it in the paper and heard about it in school. They get money for her monthly and she knows for a fact they use it all on Dudley.

At night when everyone was off to bed Rose carefully picked up the letter from her cupboard floor and tucked it under her pillow. She didn't have any light to read it now but tomorrow she will take it with her on her walk around the neighborhood and she would finally know what was written in it.

And as planned the day after she was sitting under a tree with her heart beating in her throat.

She had to keep her poker face on the whole time she was at breakfast but she made it. Rose carefully pulled the wax seal loose and unfolded the letter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme

Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mrs. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts

School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all

necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

Rose was shocked, she slowly unfolded the next parchment and it contained a list of supplies like the letter promised. This had to be a joke, right? It couldn't be real. Movement caught her eye and she saw an owl land next to her.

We await your owl…

"Am I supposed to give you a letter?"

The owl hopped closer and stuck out it's claw. Rose looked around to see if someone was playing a joke on her. But who would it be? Not her family that's a fact.

She attentively moved her hand to the owl and to her surprise the owl let her pet it. Rose looked around for a last time and she saw no one. She reread the letter.

School of witchcraft and wizardry.

She did make strange things happen didn't she. Could it be?

The little hope she had flickered away in an instant. Even if it was true, the Dursley would never let her go. A school for witchcraft? They would lock her in her cupboard for a whole year if she even suggest it. Rose sighed and pulled out a pen. She had tucked the pen and some stamps away in the middle of the night, in the case that she had to respond to the letter.

On the back of the letter she wrote her answer.

Dear Mrs. McGonagall,

I am pleased to have been accepted into your school. I'm sorry but my guardians already have a school picked out for me, I'm afraid they won't let me change schools. So, I won't be able to attend.

I'm very sorry.

Rose Potter.

Rose looked over her response and saw that the ink was washed out on some places. Surprised, she touched her cheek and felt her tears. She was crying. That made her sob even harder. She hated her family, really hated them. She resented them a lot over the past years but now she felt a searing hate course through her veins as she was forced to fold up a dream come true. The owl hopped closer again and softly bit her fingers, as if to comfort her. She gave it one last pet and the letter. Rose couldn't stop sobbing as the owl flew away. Her heart crushed.


	2. Chapter 2: Visitor

Chapter 2: Visitor

Rose was staring at the ceiling of her cupboard. She had sat under that tree for hours, sobbing, staring at the spot where the owl had disappeared from view. She felt empty right now, like something had been ripped away from her. Like she lost a part of herself. Rose frowned, thinking back to the letter. What had she done? She finally had an explanation for all the weirdness surrounding her life. Well for the strange occurrences anyway. And that school was going to teach her. Rose sighed while her stomach contracted. There had been a knot in her belly ever since the letter. She turned to her side and stared at the wall instead. The Dursleys would never have let her go. They wouldn't even had believed it. It had been the right choice to answer that letter to keep the piece with them. Right?

Then how come it feels like she betrayed herself?

Rose sat up straight.

Maybe she could teach herself?

Her heart started hammering through her chest. Maybe she could, just small things. To control it better. And when she was of age and left home, then she could pick it up again. Rose grabbed a sock and rolled it into a ball. She placed it at the foot of her bed placed herself with crossed legs in front of it. Okay just focus on lifting it up.

She visualized lifting her sock up in the air.

Nothing.

Rose rolled her shoulders and tried again.

Nothing.

Just lift up.

Nothing.

Come on.

Nothing.

Just a little?

Nothing.

Rose grumbled. After staring at her sock for what felt like an eternity she closed her eyes. Come on lift. She visualized it. She thought back on all the strange occurrences. The feeling she had right before they happened. Mostly it happened because she needed help.

"Come on, help me now." Rose whispered.

She slowly opened her eyes and they immediately widened in shock. Everything that could move, including her bed was floating in the air.

Rose giggled, the coldness from this afternoon melted away. She could teach herself and she will.

Now laughing, everything dropped to the ground. It made quite some noise. Rose froze and listened if it woke the Dursleys.

It didn't. she crawled back under her sheets and for the first time since the letter, she smiled.

The next morning at breakfast, Rose was thinking where she could go to train. Everything was silent so they clearly heard the click and flop of the mail arriving. It took Rose a while to realize that Vernon had stood up to get the mail himself. Fear grabbed her. What if they had responded to her refusal?

The regular mail doesn't work that fast but she didn't know how fast owls where.

Vernon entered the kitchen while going through the mail and Rose held her breath. Until suddenly her uncle froze dead in his tracks. Rose gulped as she saw how his face turned purple.

She quickly focused back on her breakfast. Denying was the best thing for her now. She slid on her poker face.

"Petunia!" Vernon screeched.

Petunia walked over to him and gasped at the sight of the letter.

"Oh Vernon, what do we do?"

"Not here Petunia." Vernon grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway.

Dudley and Rose looked at each other with raised eyebrows and then hurried over to the door. They fought over the keyhole. Dudley won by pushing her down. Rose pressed her ear against the space at the floor.

"What do we do?" Petunia whispered.

"We run."

"We can't Vernon, look at the address. They even know where she sleeps. They'll always find us."

"We don't answer, it'll discourage them."

"I don't think so."

"Well then we answer that they're not welcome."

"Vernon…"

"What else could we do Petunia? We're not inviting this rubbish into our homes. That's for sure!"

It was silent for a while.

"It says, answer by owl. How does that work?"

"I'll do it. If seen 'her' do it all the time."

Vernon coughed awkwardly.

Rose pulled back after that.

They knew. They knew all along. 'Her' Had to be her mom. Even Vernon knew. Rose balled her fists and tried to control the anger that was running through her. The lights started to flicker. Calm down.

Rose took some deep breaths and managed to calm down.

"Noooo."

She turned with a shock. Dudley had continued listening and was storming into the hall now.

"She can't have it!"

'It' was apparently his spare bedroom. The Dursleys have 4 bedrooms. One for Petunia and Vernon, one for Dudley, one for Vernon's sister Marge when she came to visit and one for the broken toys of Dudley. That's right, they could have given her a room but had chosen not to.

Vernon came by to explain to Rose that she had to move to the spare bedroom. She didn't care. A few weeks ago, she would have been ecstatic but now she really didn't care. All she could do is nod at him and control her anger.

Dudley made a scene and cried and cried. By the time, Rose was finished moving – which didn't take really long since she didn't have a lot of stuff – he was sitting in the couch, with shock on his face.

Rose wanted to go outside but suggesting this made all color fade from Petunia's face and Vernon turned green. She had to stay inside.

That made Rose wonder what in god's name was written in that letter?

The day was boring and slow. Everyone was watching the television. Well trying to watch anyway. Vernon and Petunia were constantly glancing out of the window.

Around 2 o'clock Vernon left the house and returned with a package. It was long and slender, he kept it with him through the whole day.

After spending the whole day in an awkward silence, they went to bed early. Rose was preparing for bed – for the first time in an actual room – when she heard Vernon talk on the stairs.

"See? It worked, they didn't come."

"I hope so Vernon."

Rose frowned at that. Who didn't come? Was the school planning on sending someone? Well it's a lost cause anyway. They told them not to come.

Rose started on her exercises. She wanted to be able to move something now. It took her hours but she finally managed to make the sock float towards her. Rose smiled. She looked at the clock and saw she was a few seconds away from midnight. She realized something. Tomorrow it was her birthday. Rose watched the last seconds tick away and it hit midnight.

"Happy birthday, Rose." She whispered.

BOOM!

Rose jerked up. What in…

BOOM!

She got out of her room, it came from downstairs.

BOOM!

"Petunia stay behind me!" Vernon walked out of his room. Rose could now see what he had bought yesterday. He was holding a rifle in his hand, clasping on to it for his dear life.

BOOM!

Vernon passed Rose and pushed her back in her room. After he had passed she came out again anyway. Dudley had woken from his sleep as well. "What's going on?" Rose shrugged.

BOOM!

They all went downstairs and piled up in the hallway, staring at the door.

BOO-CRASH!

De door ripped from its hinges and fell to the ground. A massive man was standing in the doorway. He could barely fit through. Scratch that, he couldn't possibly fit through. He had long curly, messy brown hair with a matching beard that fell to his chest. He ducked and squeezed himself through the door. Which was a feat in itself. He lifted the door up with one hand and easily put it back in the frame. He turned to look at the people in the hallway, who were looking at him with big eyes, trembling.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy

journey..." He said walking over to them.

Everyone gasped in surprised and scrambled to escape the hallway. They poured into the kitchen and the giant went to sit on a chair. He had a pink umbrella with him and he tapped it two times on the floor. Suddenly all the lights were on.

He looked at them all again and Rose leaned to the side to take a better look at the stranger.

"ah an' here's Rosey!" said the giant. Rose looked at his face and saw at his eyes that he was smiling at her. She hesitantly smiled back at him.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look just like yet mom, but yeh've got yet dad's eyes."

Rose was shocked, her suspicions were confirmed, but with new information, her eyes looked like her father. Vernon made a choking voice.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and

entering!"

"Shut up Dursley, yeh great prune." Rose had to swallow a chuckle at that. The giant reached to Vernon and pulled the rifle out of his hands. He bent it into a knot as easily as if it were made of rubber.

"Anyway Rosey, a very happy birthday to yeh." He started rummaging through his coat. "Got summat fer yeh here." He pulled out a worn box. The giant signaled her to come over. Rose carefully came from behind aunt Petunia and approached the giant. Carefully avoiding the grasp of uncle Vernon.

She took the box and untied it with trembling fingers.

Inside was a chocolate cake with 'Happy Birthday Rosey" writing in pink icing.

Rose almost choked. She never got a birthday cake in her entire life before. She swallowed the frog in her throat.

"Thank you." She whispered.

The giant seemed genuinely happy that she was pleased with the cake.

"Who are you?" she choked out before she could help herself.

The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

He held out an enormous hand, Rose took it and he shook her entire arm.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together.

"I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."

Rose nodded and went to the stove to put some tea.

Petunia screeched.

"Don't you dare!"

Hagrid looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Petunia hid behind Vernon once again and Rose made some tea. While Hagrid started cutting the cake in pieces. Dudley was eyeing his movements and slowly stepped closer to it.

"Don't you eat anything from that giant, Dudley!" Petunia said, pulling Dudley back.

"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."

Hagrid cut off a piece of the cake and handed it to Rose. Rose cautiously took a bite. It was delicious.

Rose looked at the giant as he watched her eat. She saw tenderness in his eyes, a fondness towards her she never saw before. Rose got up and poured some tea in a cup. She handed it to the giant.

"I'm sorry sir, but I still don't really know who you are."

"Call me Hagrid. Everybody does." He smiled. "I'm keeper of keys at Hogwarts, o'course yeh know all Hogwarts."

"Eh – not really." Rose answered.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Eh I do know it's a school?" Rose said quickly.

Vernon and Petunia gasped in surprise.

"Ah so yeh do know. O'course yeh parent's would want yeh there. They were one of the greatest ones of they're generation."

Rose looked at the giant, confused.

"Of what generation?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Hagrid turned his gaze to the Dursleys, angry.

"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this girl -

this girl! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"

Rose's heart hammered through her chest at a rapid pace. Will he tell her what all this is? Finally, the truth?

"I – I know I can do some stuff. Make some things happen?" Rose whispered with a frightened look at the Dursleys. Vernon looked furious and Petunia… well, she looked disgusted. Rose's heart sank and she felt like she lost the sympathy from the one person she rarely got it from. It saddened her but she wanted the truth.

"Well o'course yeh can, yeh parents were powerfull. They're famous, yeh're famous."

"What?!" Rose said shocked. "Why?"

"Yeh don't know… Yeh don't know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair and stared at Rose bewildered.

"Yeh don't know what yeh are?"

"Stop!" Vernon suddenly shouted. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the

girl anything!"

A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious

look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled

with rage.

"You never told her? Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore

left fer her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"

Rose looked from Hagrid to the Dursleys. She knew it, they had been keeping something from her. Rose thought back to the letter. 'Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.'

"I'm a witch, aren't I?" Rose whispered.

The Dursleys and Hagrid all looked at her in shock.

"Yeah, yeh are. An' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?" Hagrid exclaimed happily.

"When we read that yeh refused the invitation, we know it had to be them." Hagrid pointed at the Dursleys. "We saw the tear stains yeh know."

"Ha!" Vernon shouted triumphant. "You said it yourself, she refused it."

Rose glanced back at them and she saw how Vernon puffed himself up happily and aunt Petunia looked at her in shock.

"You refused it? When did you do that?" Aunt Petunia asked.

Rose fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"Two days ago, I knew you've already chosen another school for me. And I knew you wouldn't want to send me to another school."

"Well there you have it. The girl is right we don't want to send her there and we certainly don't want to pay for it." Vernon said happily. Aunt Petunia just kept staring at her.

"I knew we finally knocked some sense in you."

Rose clenched her teeth together. Vernon seemed genially happy with her for the first time in her life. It only took her to betray her parents to do that. Rose tasted bile in the back of her throat.

"I though you would even laugh in my face if I showed you the letter. That you would tell me it was a joke, a load of nonsense. But you knew didn't you. All this time, all the weird things that were happening you knew!" Rose got angry, her blood was boiling. Writing back was the hardest thing she had to do, because she thought they wouldn't understand, but they knew.

The lights in the house started flickering.

"Now Rosey calm—"

"Of course we knew. How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a

letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you! And you turned out to be just like her, you look like her, you talk like her, you make things happen just like HER!"

Rose felt like she was slapped across the face. Blown up. BLOWN UP!

"What do you mean blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" Rose screamed. She looked at her aunt furiously. Any connection she might have felt dissipated. She felt betrayed.

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to a corner.

"How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Rose Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"

"Everyone knows my name?" Rose looked wide eyed at Hagrid. "Why?"

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Rosey, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.

"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then spoke again.

"It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"

"Who? "

"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' gargoyles, Rosey, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Rose suggested.

"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort. " Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Rosey. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew

they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -"

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway... You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no

ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Rosey. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts - an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

Rose looked at Hagrid with big eyes. She suddenly saw the green flash again, the one that was haunting her dreams regularly. Only now she remembered a high-pitched laugh with it too. Hagrid looked at her, sadness written across his face. His eye glistened with tears.

"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."

"Now listen here girl." Vernon suddenly said angry. "Like he said, you already refused, you're not going."

Hagrid laughed.

"Rose Potter not going to Hogwarts! Ridiculous, one lousy refusal isn't going stop her from going."

Relief washed over Rose and her heart started to flutter.

"She's not going!" Vernon exclaimed.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," Hagrid said.

"A what?" said Rose, interested.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "It's what we call nonmagic folk like thern. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."  
Rose nodded.

"What happened to this Voldemort?"

Hagrid shuddered.

"Don't say that name. Good question, Rosey. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go? Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough

human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Rosey. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

Hagrid looked at her with warmth and awe. Rose knew she should feel proud but al she felt was confusion. And betrayal.

"You wait, yeh'll be famous at Hogwarts." Hagrid said happily.

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you she's not going?" he hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it."

"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Her name's been down ever since she was born. She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she

won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-"

"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HER MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon. But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled

it over his head.

"NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE-IN-FRONT- OF- ME!"  
Hagrid swirled the umbrella multiple time above his head and then pointed it at Dudley. Who had with all the arguing already eaten half of the cake without anyone noticing. A violet flash filled the room and Dudley squealed in pain, putting his chubby hands on his fat bottom. When he turned around to run, Rose saw a pig's tail poking out through a hole in his pajama's.

Petunia screamed horrified and Vernon pushed her and Dudley through the hallway door. They fleed to their rooms.

Rose looked at them running away, shocked and intrigued by the magic she had seen.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.

"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

He cast a sideways look at Rose under his bushy eyebrows.

"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff

\- one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job"

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Rose.

"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Why were you expelled?"

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."

Rose looked at the door to the hallway. She didn't dare to go upstairs to sleep. Hagrid marched to the couch and made himself comfortable. He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Rose.

"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."  
Rose smiled at him gratefully and nestled herself on the other couch under his coat.

Hi guy's,

I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Let me know what you think. I love talking to you guy's about this fic!

XXX D.


	3. Chapter 3: Diagon Ally

Chapter 3

Diagon Ally

Rose awoke quite early the next morning. She felt the daylight falling on her face. The events of this night played through her mind. Briefly thinking it could all have been a dream. But she felt some movement in her covers and she remembered Hagrid saying there were still some mice in his coat. A smile crept across her face and she opened her eyes.

Her heart leaped when she saw Hagrid laying vast asleep on the couch. Not a dream. Not a dream! Suddenly a tapping noise filled the room. Rose looked up and saw an owl tapping on the window. She quickly got up and opened the window. The owl flew through the room and dropped a newspaper on Hagrid. It circled back to her and started picking one of the pockets in his coat, which was still draped around her.

"Hey!" Rose feared for the mice and inspected the pocket the owl was attacking. No mice, just coins.

She pulled out some and looked at the owl. He stuck his claw out.

"Oh, you need to be payed, don't you?" The owl hopped closer.

"Let's see…" Rose inspected the coins but didn't recognize them. She carefully walked over to Hagrid while the owl followed her.

"Hagrid?"

No reaction. Rose gently poked him.

"Hagrid?"

The giant grumbled.

"I think the owl wants to be payed, but I don't recognize the coins."

"Give him 5 knuts, the little bronze ones."

Rose counted 5 knuts and the owl stuck out his claw again. She noticed a little pouch and she stuck the five coins in it.

"Do you want some cake, little guy?"

The owl tilted its head and stayed put. Rose walked to the kitchen and tore off a little piece of her birthday cake. Rose wanted to turn to go back to the owl but she felt a pinching weight on her shoulder. He had flown up to her and had landed on her shoulder. Rose held up the piece of cake and the owl happily ate it. It gave Rose a gentle nibble on her fingers and took off, disappearing through the window.

Hagrid slowly got up and yawned while stretching.

"Best be off, Rosey, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy

all yer stuff fer school."  
Rose looked at the rest of the coins in her hands and felt a rock drop in her stomach.

"Um – Hagrid, I don't have any money. You heard uncle Vernon, he won't pay for this."

Hagrid was putting on his boots and stopped. He looked at her and smiled.

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"

"But didn't the Dudleys get it? They are my guardians."

Hagrid chuckled.

"Don' worry, them muggles didn' get them hands on it. Your parents tucked it away safely until you could come get it. Anyway, it's wizard's money, a muggle has no use for it."

Rose smile brightly at him as a huge relief washed over her.

"So where did they store it?"

Hagrid took one of the remaining pieces of birthday cake and gave her one as well.

"First stop we make is Gringotts. Wizards bank."

Rose took the cake and bit off a piece.

"So, wizards have banks as well?"

"Just one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."

Rose gaped at Hagrid and though of the little green, mean creatures she had read and heard about in school.

"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Rosey. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business."

Hagrid drew himself up proudly.

"He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."

Rose smiled warmly at him.

When they both had finished their piece of cake, Hagrid got up.

"Got everythin'? Come on then."

"Uhm, can I change first?" Rose asked while she felt her blood pool in her cheeks.

"Oh um, o'course. Sorry"

Rose gave back his coat and hurried to her room, as quiet as possible. She didn't want to wake the Dursleys. It only took a few minutes to get changed, when she got back, Hagrid was waiting at the front door.

"Let's go Rosey."

Rose threw one last glance upstairs and then followed him out the door.

They walked for a bit, before Rose asked a question.

"So where is Hogwarts?"

"Very few people know it's exact location. For protection yeh know?"

"Oh okay, is it far?"

"You need to take the train for a few hours."

"A few hours?" Rose said surprised. "But is that doable every day?"

Hagrid laughed.

"Every day? Oh Rosey, yeh stay at Hogwarts for an entire year, yeh can come home at Christmas but yeh can chose to stay. The school closes in summer."

Rose stopped dead in her tracks. A year? That means she only had to be home for 2 months a year from now one. No more Dursley's and no more Dudley for 10 months a year. A huge grin started spreading across her face. She could honestly say that was the best news she had in her whole life.

Hagrid hadn't noticed she had stopped walking when she heard the news because he had stopped as well. He took out his umbrella and pointed it to a spot across the street.

"Hagrid…?"

BANG.

A bus appeared out of nowhere and stopped with screeching tires. The doors opened and an elderly conductor with a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began speaking.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is—". We never got to know his name because he caught eye of Hagrid and stared at him in horror.

"Two tickets for London, the leaky cauldron."

"Eh—that's eh—22 sickles please."

Hagrid fished out the money and got on the bus. Rose could have sworn that the bus's doorway adjusted itself to Hagrid's size. She got up behind him.

Another elderly man sat in the driving seat and looked at the new passengers with curiosity. Rose looked for a seat but realized there were only bed's available. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. Rose looked around amazed. She could have sworn the bus was smaller from the outside.

BANG!

De bus started driving at high speed again, but they were someplace else entirely. Hagrid sat down on one of the beds in the far end of the bus and Rose went to sit beside him – on the tiny place there was left of the bed. Hagrid pulled out his newspaper and started reading. Rose realized that the conductor looked really surprised to see Hagrid. Like for the first time surprised.

"Did you come to the house the same way Hagrid?"

"No I flew."

"Flew?"

"Yeah - but we'll go in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."

A quite comical image popped in Roses head of Hagrid flying. She had to shake it off. She bursted with questions but she had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they read their paper, but it was very difficult, she'd never had so many questions in her life

"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.

"There's a ministry of magic?" Asked Rose before she could stop herself. The bus made a sharp turn and she had to hold on to Hagrid for dear life. Hagrid didn't seem to budge.

"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, 0 'course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."

"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"

"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still

witches an' wizards up an' down the country."  
Rose thought about this for a second and it made sense. The norma-muggles didn't seem to know about their existence. Of course, they didn't want the muggles to know, if history has it correctly there were witch hunts all through the 15 hundreds to the 18 hundreds.

"Hagrid, you said you'd be mad to try and rob Gringotts. Why is that?"

"Spells – enchantments. They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."

"Did you say dragons?" Rose gasped.

"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."

"You'd like one?"

"Wanted one ever since I was a kid."

Rose gaped at him, what other creatures she read about would be real?

Hagrid stopped reading the paper and put it away while the bus made another sharp turn.

"Oh right, here yeh go, Rosey. I still got yer letter. There's a list of everything yeh need."

Rose took the letter Hagrid handed to her and she opened the envelope once more. She pulled out the second letter and reread it, more in detail now.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

wand cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set

glass or crystal phials

telescope set

brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED

THEIR OWN

BROOMSTICKS

"We can buy all of this in London?" Rose asked.

"If yeh know where to go."

The bus stopped abruptly.

"LONDON, LEAKY COULDRON!"

"That's us." Hagrid got up and went to the exit. Rose payed better attention then last time and she definitively saw the door widen now. Rose got off the bus as well and with a loud bang it disappeared.

"Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."

Rose put her attention to the building in front of her. It was a tiny grubby-looking pub. If she wasn't standing right in front of it, she never would have noticed it. She noticed the people hurrying by didn't notice it at all. Of course, it could be because their attention was focused on Hagrid, but she had a feeling only she and Hagrid could see it. Before she could mention this to Hagrid he had guided her inside.

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass and spoke.

"The usual, Hagrid?"

"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Rose's shoulder and making Rose's knees buckle.

"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Rose.

"Is this - can this be -?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

"Bless my soul." whispered the old bartender. "Rose Potter... what an honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Rose and seized her hand, tears in his eyes. "Welcome back, Mrs. Potter, welcome back."

Rose was stunned. Everyone was looking at her. Staring. Suddenly all the chairs scraped across the floors and Rose found herself shaking hands with everyone at the leaky cauldron. Introducing themselves. She was shocked. She had assumed Hagrid was exaggerating her fame. Obviously, he didn't.

"Delighted, Mrs. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle." Rose snapped back to reality when she saw the man before her and realized something.

"Hey! I've seen you once. You bowed to me once in a shop."

"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me!" Rose shook hands again and again –

A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Rosey, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Rosey's hand. "C-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"

"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself."

He looked terrified at the very thought. But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Rose to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.

"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Rosey."

Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

Hagrid looked at Rose whose cheeks where flushed from all the attention.

"Told yeh, didn't I?"

She nodded with a smile on her face.

"Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?"

"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"

Rose almost couldn't handle it anymore. Vampires, hags? Was everything she heard about true?

"Ah there it is." Hagrid counted the bricks on the wall and tapped one brick three times. The wall trembled and the bricks were turning and sliding out of the way. When they were done, Rose and Hagrid were standing in front of a giant arch.

"Welcome to Diagon Ally." Hagrid said.

Rose's mouth almost fell open. In some streets houses, would be different but she had never seen a street like this. No house or shop was the same. With weird ways to enter, in weird sizes and shapes. Sometime even impossible shapes. And the items in them were even more interesting. Weird ingredients, cauldrons, books… everything was colorful and full of life. She felt alive while walking through the streets and like she didn't have enough eyes to absorb all the information around her.

They passed a broom shop and several students had their noses stuck to the window while looking at the brooms.

"Look the new Nimbus 2000. The fastest ever." Rose picked up from them.

They passed windows with robes, telescopes, strange silver instruments Rose had never seen before, barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...

"Gringotts." Hagrid suddenly said.

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was –

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Rose. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Rose noticed, very long fingers and feet. He didn't really look like she had pictured a goblin. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid. A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Rose made for the counter. "Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin.

"We've come ter take some money outta Mrs. Rose Potter's safe."

"You have his key, Sir?"

Hagrid started searching his pocket for a while and Rose could see the goblin was losing its patience.

"Ha got it!" Hagrid handed it over.

"That seems to be in order."

"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid said.

"It's about the thingy in vault 713."

The goblin read the letter carefully and nodded.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

Griphook was another goblin and he took them to the back. To Rose's surprise there was no more marble only rock and water trickling down it.

"Hagrid, what's in vault 713?"

"Can't tell you that, secret business between me and Dumbledore."

Rose nodded. Griphook guided them to a cart. With some squeezing she, Hagrid and Griphook got in. The cart felt like Rose expected a rollercoaster would feel like. She never had been in one but from the looks and feel of it, she concluded it had to be about the same thing.

Hagrid looked like he was going to be sick and Rose swallowed a chuckle.

The cart suddenly stopped and Griphook got out. Rose and Hagrid followed suit. The goblin used Roses key to open the vault and Roses mouth dropped open. It revealed mounts of gold coins, colums of silver ones and heaps of bronze knuts.

"All yours." Hagrid smiled.

Rose was amazed, she never got any money from the Dursley, only to do the groceries. And she had to return the change, Vernon even looked at the receipt to see if it was correct. And now… now all this money was hers. Luckily, they didn't know it was here, it would have been gone in a blink.

Hagrid helped Rose to pile some of it into a bag.

"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only," said Griphook

They went deeper now and it felt like it was even faster. They stopped at another vault. The goblin didn't use a key this time, just his fingers.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.

"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Rose asked.

"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.

Rose expected something wild, like diamonds or something. But there was only a tiny brown package in the middle. Hagrid quickly picked it up and stuffed it in one of his pockets. Rose didn't ask again what it was.

Another wild cart ride later they were outside again, the sun stinging in their eyes.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Rosey, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Rose entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts, dear?" she said. Rose nodded in response. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Rose on a stool next to him slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.

The boy looked her over and smiled at her.

"Hello, going to Hogwarts too?"

"Yes." Rose said.

"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."

Rose was strongly reminded of Dudley.

"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Rose.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"Ergh, I don't know what that is."

The boy eyed her again and his face hardened.

"Muggleborn then eh?" He said with a sneer.

"No." Rose said a bit annoyed.

The boy turned more towards her and she saw he had icy blue eyes, they were quite gorgeous. Too bad his personality suited them very well.

"Your parents never explained Quidditch?"

"My parents died." Rose said flatly. "I was raised by muggles."

The boy was a bit taken aback. Rose saw how Hagrid had return with ice-cream and she smiled fondly at him. She was appreciating him more and more.

"Look at that man." The boy said surprised.

"That's Hagrid." Rose said smiling.

"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"

"He's the gamekeeper," said Rose. She was liking the boy less and less every second.

"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."

Rose was getting mad at the boy next to him.

"He's no savage. I think he's amazing." Rose said sternly.

"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you?"

"Because my parents are dead and I was raised by muggles. He was nice enough to explain everything to me."

"And your parents where they our kind?"

His icy eyes burned in Roses.

"Yes."

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

"So, what am I then?" Rose said her voice slightly risen.

The boy was taken aback.

"My parents where a witch and wizard but I was raised by muggles. I don't know our ways, I had never heard of Hogwarts until I got the letter just like you said. Does that mean I'm rubbish?" Rose said angrily. If this was the reaction she had to expect from everyone she didn't really wanted to go anymore. She felt enough like crap with the Dursleys.

"Euhm—I…" the boy hackled.

Madam Malkin coughed.

"That's it for you my dear." Rose hopped off the stool and shot another angry glance at the boy whose cheeks pinked up a bit. He was at loss for words. Rose kept her head high and followed Madame Malkin who smiled widely at her. Rose got a feeling she was glad Rose had stood up to him like that. Roses eyes fell on some dresses, shirts and trousers that were muggle-like.

"Madame Malkin. Could I order some of the muggle clothes as well?" Rose though of her tattered clothes and the probability that aunt Petunia wouldn't take her shopping this year. Any future birthday as well for that fact.

"Of course, my dear. Just tell me what you like I have your sizes now."

Rose walked around a bit and picked several new outfits.

By the time everything was wrapped up and she had to pay, the other boy hopped off the stool as well. He approached her with determination on his face. Rose quickly payed and got out of there before he could say a word.

Rose was quiet while she ate her ice-cream. Hagrid looked at her with a worried look on his face.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing," Rose lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Rose cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. While they were walking to the next shop, Rose's eyes fell on a shop that sold women's products. She caught a glimpse of the hairproducts.

"Oh, Hagrid can we please go in?" Hagrid looked a bit surprised and flustered.

"We should stick to the list, Rosey."

"Please, I was never able to buy something for my hair." Hagrid looked at her pleading face.

"Well fine, but I'm staying here." Rose nodded happily and went into the shop excited. While she was looking around she concluded that she wanted to buy everything, but she was going to keep her promise and only buy hair stuff. A while later she left the shop feeling really happy. They had a pair of scissors where you just had to say the number of the picture and it'd cut just like it. Rose had paid a sickle to use it. Finally, there was some model in her curls. She had also bought a brush that would brush your hair the way you wanted it. Wavy, curly, straight, etcetera. They also had one that changed the color of your hair, but Rose loved her haircolor. She also had bought a mirror and cream that would style your hair the way you wanted for multiple days. All the products had a warning that the spells wouldn't work as good on extremely curled hair. But the saleswoman had told her that hers was just within the limit.

Hagrid looked very happy when she came back out. Only then she realized how hard she was smiling and that her cheeks started to hurt. They continued walking. Rose caught a glimpse of the boy in Madame Malkins shop in the distance.

"Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"Blimey, Rosey, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"

"Don't make me feel worse," said Rose. She told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."

"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"Does everyone think like him?"

"O'course not. There's just a slimy little bunch like them."

That made Rose feel a lot better.

"So what is Quidditch?"

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."

They bought Rose's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Rose away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

"I was kidding you know."

Hagrid smiled at her. Rose looked around for a long time and bought the books for school but also 'Modern Magical History', 'Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century' and 'Hogwarts, A History'. She didn't want to feel stupid again like with the boy, she loved reading anyway.

They went to several different shops to get all her supplies. Hagrid even let her buy a bag and purse that were huge on the inside but were really small on the outside. The stuff you put in wouldn't affect the weight at all and it came with a spell that you only needed to name the item and it would go to the top.

After that Hagrid looked at the list again.

"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."

Rose blushed.

"Hagrid, you don't have to."

"I know I don' but I want to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Rose now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. And Rose was completely in love with it. She realized she really loved owls.

She stammered multiple thank you's to Hagrid.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."

They entered the dusty shop.

Rose immediately felt the magic coursing through the shop. Her senses where prickled while she looked at the piles and piles of slim boxes. She felt a weird sensation go through her and some of the boxes started hovering.

"Good afternoon." A soft voice said. Rose was startled and the boxes dropped.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. He was eyeing Rose cautiously.

"Hmm, you have a lot of bottle up magic in you. I almost never get a reaction like that out of my wands, miss Potter."

Rose blushed.

"I've been expecting you. You're the spitting image of your mother. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Rose. Rose wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.

"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Rose were almost nose to nose. Rose could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.

"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Rose's forehead with a long, white finger.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."

He shook his head and then, to Rose's relief, spotted Hagrid.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.

"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.

"Oh, no, sir." said Hagrid quickly. Rose noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. He did use that umbrella for multiple things since she knew him.

"Well, miss Potter, let's get started." He pulled out a tape measure.

"What's your wand arm?"

"Euhm, I'm right-handed."

"Excellent, hold out your arm."

He measured Rose from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

Rose suddenly realized Ollivander had left her to search through his boxes. The tape measure was continuing on its own.

"That will do." Ollivander said while coming back with a wand.

"Right then, Miss. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."

Before Rose could do anything, he snatched it right out of her hands.

"Not quite right."

The next one Ollivander gave her was snatched out of her hands just as quickly. This process was repeated multiple times and while Rose was getting frustrated, Ollivander was getting excited.

After a couple more, Rose started tapping her foot on the floor. She was getting impatient. She didn't was to be rude but it was getting on her nerves. Boxes started floating again and one bumped right against Ollivanders head. He plucked it out of the air and stared at it.

"I wonder…yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

He approached Rose with the wand and gave it to her. When she took it in her hand she felt a sudden warmth in her fingers. Rose gave a gentle whip with it and a stream of gold and red sparks shot from the end like a firework. Which gave a beautiful twinkle around the shop.

Hagrid clapped loudly in his hands and Ollivander gave a surprised cry.

"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "

He put Rose's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering,

"Curious... curious…"

"Sorry," said Rose "but what's curious?"

Mr. Ollivander fixed Rose with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."

Rose swallowed.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Miss. Potter... After all, He Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."

Rose looked at him in shock. She had gone from being rubbish to following in her parent's murderer's footsteps. She quickly payed Ollivander seven Galleons for the wand and Ollivander bowed when they left.

The sun hung low in the sky when Rose and Hagrid stepped back to the street. They made their way through the street as the shops started to close. The Leaky Cauldron was now empty. They stepped out on the muggle street and Rose was still deep in thoughts. Hagrid tapped her on the shoulder.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yeh go home?" he asked.

Rose nodded and they entered a burgerjoint. Hagrid bought Rose a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Rose glanced around her, the 'normal' streets looked so foreign now she had been in the wizard's world all day.

"You all right, Rosey? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.

Rose chewed on her hamburger while thinking of an answer.

"Today was incredible Hagrid. The best birthday I ever had. But I'm a bit shaken by the people I suppose."

"What do yeh mean?"

"Everyone knows me, they look at me like I'm their salvation or something. But I don't know anything about this. Nothing about your culture. I don't even know how I defeated Vol – sorry You-Know-Who the night my parents died. And the way that boy phrased it, I feel more like an outcast than a celebrity."

Hagrid smiled warmly at her.

"Don' you worry, Rosey. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."

After the meal, Hagrid pulled out his umbrella and pointed it to call the bus.

He conductor stayed out of the way and quite relieved when he saw Hagrid didn't make any step to get on the bus. He helped Rose get her stuff on the bus and then handed her an envelope.

"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Rosey."

Rose wanted to keep looking until Hagrid disappeared from view but she forgot for a second how the bus works. With a loud bang, she was somewhere else entirely.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think.

XXX D.


	4. Chapter 4: Leaving for Hogwarts

Chapter 4

Leaving for Hogwarts

Returning to life at the Dursleys felt weird to Rose now. Being normal when you know all the extra-ordinary things that exist was like returning from a multicolor television to a black and white one. It was depressing. What was also depressing was the fact that they seemed to ignore her the all through the final month of vacation. She was like air to Vernon and Petunia. Dudley just fled the room when she entered. Although it could seem like an improvement to the constant scolding, degrading and shoving her in the cupboard, it only felt lonely. Rose just stayed in her room – which she got to keep surprisingly – the whole time, she only went down for food and water. Hedwig was the only company she had. She decided to call her owl that when she read the name in 'A history of Magic'. Her schoolbooks were very interesting, she had read every single one of them already. Especially potions, which she had read twice. She loved cooking and this was a lot like that, only with more interesting results. The additional books she had bought were a load of information as well. She was named in two of them. She finally felt that she wouldn't be a complete idiot when people would talk to her. Hopefully. She also read that wand magic was forbidden to practice outside the school by minors. So, she figured training her non-wand magic wouldn't be. She was getting pretty good at making things move towards her. While Hedwig swooped in and out when she pleased. Thank god aunt Petunia was ignoring her in such a way that she also ignored her room when she vacuumed. Hedwig brought dead mice home more than once.

Rose also had a calendar where she ticked every passing day of, counting down to September the first.

On the las day of august, she had to start thinking how she was going to get to King's Cross station the next day. She wasn't sure if she could use the bus for that, because she needed to use her wand for that. And since minors weren't permitted to use wand magic off school grounds, she had only one option left.

Rose cleared her throat in the living room to let her presence known. Dudley gave a little shout and ran upstairs.

"Ehm – Uncle Vernon?"

Vernon grunted to let her know he was listening.

"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"

Grunt. Rose took that as a yes. That was easier than expected.

"Thank you."

She turned to go back upstairs when Vernon decided to speak.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Rose didn't say anything.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"It's a hidden location, we're not supposed to know. I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock." Rose answered.

His aunt and uncle stared.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters."

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on my ticket."

"Barking, howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother." Vernon said.

"Why are you going to London?" Rose asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital." growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

Rose wisely swallowed a chuckle.

Rose woke up bright and early at 5 o'clock. She double checked if she had everything and put on one of the dresses she had bought at Madame Malkins. The witch robes would have to wait until she was on the train. Then freshened up and combed her hair with the magic comb for the first time. She didn't try it before, because she was afraid of the Dursleys reaction. It worked like a charm, she had chosen wavy and it was much less messy. She loved it. After that, she checked everything again. The whole time she had butterflies in her stomach of excitement. She was going to leave the Dursleys for 10 months. And to learn magic! She had a smile on her face she didn't seem to get off.

Two hours later all her stuff was packed in the car and aunt Petunia had finally convinced Dudley to sit next to Rose.

They reached King's Cross station at half past ten. Uncle Vernon put Rose's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it to the station for her. Which she found surprisingly friendly of him.

Until he stopped dead and looked at her with a nasty grin on his face.

"Here we are. Platform nine – platform ten." He pointed at them with a grand gesture.

"Yours should be in between, but it seems they haven't built it yet, doesn't it?"

He was right of course, Rose could only see a plastic nine and a plastic ten but nothing in between.

"Have a good term." Vernon said with that same nasty smile.

He turned and walked back to the car. Rose saw how they were laughing while they were driving away. Great.

Rose looked around for any indications what to do. She didn't go to a conductor because they were all muggles, they wouldn't know. There had to be a secret entrance. Like when Hagrid tapped the right brick three time at the Leaky Cauldron. He just forgot to tell her.

She walked around for a while drawing a lot of attention with Hedwig. Panic started to rise when she saw she had ten minutes left to get on the train.

At that moment, a group of people passed behind her.

"—packed with muggles of course – "

Rose whipped herself around and laid eyes on the group. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each had a trunk like Rose with them and they had an owl. Rose quickly started to follow the group. When they stopped, she did so as well, just close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand.

"Mom, can't I go... "

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

What looked like the oldest boy, marched toward platforms nine and ten. Rose watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of her and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next." the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it? Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.

Rose was very confused and really didn't know what she had to do just by looking at them. So she carefully came closer, wary of their reaction.

"Excuse me?" She said.

The plump woman turned and smiled brightly at her.

"Hello dear, first time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too."

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose. Rose smiled at him.

"Well yes." She answered to the woman. "The thing is, I don't really know… they didn't tell me how to – "

"How to get on the platform?" She said kindly and Rose nodded.

"Not to worry." she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."

"Oh ok."

Rose positioned her cart and looked at the barrier. She took a breath to calm herself and started running towards the barrier. As it came closer it looked very solid and her heart sped up.

Just as normally the impact would come, nothing happened. She ran through and arrived at another platform with a scarlet steam engine next to it. The platform was packed with people who definitively weren't muggles. Rose smiled, she had done it. She glanced behind her and she saw a giant wrought-iron archway with the words 'platform 9 ¾ '.

Rose walked next to the train and searched for a carriage that was empty.

Everywhere around her were people with trunks like hers. Owls where hooting in their cages and cats were running between people's legs.

She passed a round-faced boy that was talking to his grandmother.

"Gran, I've lost my toad again."

"Oh, Neville."

She also passed a boy with dreadlocks that was surrounded by a crowd.

"Give us a look Lee, go on."

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

Rose pressed on until she found an empty compartment and she tried to get her trunk on the train. Which was nearly impossible because of the weight. She could barely lift a corner. She tried concentrating to lift the trunk up with magic, it worked but she started to feel faint. The trunk dropped, of course right on her foot.

"Want a hand?"

Rose turned and saw that it was one of the red-haired twins she had followed.

"Oh, yes please." Rose said relieved.

The twin chuckled at the relief on her face and turned.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

The other twin rushed over and assessed the situation.

"Ah time to save a damsel in distress."

Rose giggled at that and they pushed and shoved to get the trunk on board. But even with three it wasn't that easy.

"Can I help?" another voice said.

Rose turned again and her heart almost stopped. Another boy older than her looked at the situation. He had messy brown hair, deep brown eyes, very visible cheekbones, was tall and had the physique of a guy who did a lot of sports. He was stunning.

"Ah, Cedric. Give us a hand will ya."

Rose quickly moved out of the way. The hallway was too small for four people and a trunk.

The three boys positioned the trunk in a corner of the compartment.

They all three had triumphant smiles on their faces when they turned toward Rose.

"Thank you so much." Rose said, while she put her hair behind her ear.

The three boy's eyes widened.

"What is that?" one of the twins said, while pointing at Rose's lightning scar that was clearly visible now. The other twin elbowed his brother.

"Blimey, are you?"

"She is."

"Aren't you?" they looked at her.

"What?" Rose said.

"I think they're trying to ask you if you're Rose Potter." Said the tall boy.

"Oh, her. Yes I am."

The three boys looked at her in wonder.

"Fred, George, where are you?"

"Coming, mom."

They looked a last time at her and hopped of the train. Leaving her with the tall boy.

"Hi, I'm Cedric." He stuck out a hand. She shook it.

"Rose, but you knew that already."

"Well, I'll see you around Rose."

"Bye." And with that Cedric hopped of the train as well.

Rose sat down next to the window where she could watch the red-haired family. The mother took out her handkerchief.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose."

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.

"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.

"Shut up," said Ron.

"Where's Percy?" said their mother.

"He's coming now." The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Rose noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise.

"You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin.

"Once -"

"Or twice -"

"A minute -"

"All summer -"

"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.

"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. "Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."

"It's not funny. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"

Rose leaned back a bit to stay out of view.

"Remember that red-haired girl at the station that was walking behind us? Know who she is?"

"Who?"

"Rose Potter."

Suddenly the voice of a young girl piped up.

"Oh, mom can I go see her, mommy, please?"

"You already saw her Ginny, besides the poor girl isn't something you goggle at in the zoo. Was it really her Fred? How do you know?"

"We saw her scar and asked her. It's really there, like lightning."

"Poor dear – no wonder she was alone, I wondered. Oh, she was so polite to ask how to get on the platform."

Rose smiled. The reaction of the woman was so motherly, nothing to do with the fame or how she grew up, just motherly worry.

"Nevermind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbit you to ask her Fred. Don't you dare. The poor girl had been through enough."

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on."

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."

"George!"

"Only joking, Mom." The train began to move. Rose saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.

Rose watched the houses pass by and felt a leap of excitement. It was actually happening. 10 months without the Dursleys and a chance at making friends without Dudley's influence.

The compartment's door slid open and the youngest red-haired brother stood in the doorway.

He looked at her and blushed.

"Can I sit here? The other compartments are already full."

"Sure." Rose smiled widely at him.

The boy's cheek got even redder and he sat down. He glanced at her and then quickly looked outside.

Rose saw he still had a black mark on his nose.

The door slid open again and the twins entered.

"Hey, Ron, listen we're going to the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right." Mumbled Ron.

The twins now looked at Rose.

"Rose, did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this our brother Ron. See you later then."

"Bye." Ron and Rose said together. The twins closed the doors behind them.

Ron looked at Rose with a puzzled look.

"So, are you really Rose Potter?"

Rose nodded.

"Oh-well I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes." He said. "Do you really have the… you know…" Ron pointed at her forehead.

Rose put her hair behind her ear making the lightning scar visible. Ron stared at it.

"So, that's where You-Know-Who…"

"Yes, but I only remember a bunch of green light, nothing else." Rose quickly said.

"Wow." Ron stared a bit at Rose but quickly realized that it was rude so he focused on something else.

"Is everyone in your family a wizard?" Rose asked curiously.

"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

"Horrible -well, not all of the muggles of course. Just my aunt and uncle and cousin. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.

"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.

Rose decided that she liked him. He didn't look down on her for living with muggles like the pale boy. And he didn't expect great things from her like Ollivander, he was just a bit awestruck, and embarrassed. He didn't need to be, Rose never had anything new until recently.

"Well my aunt and uncle never gave me anything at all. Just new clothes once a year from a second-hand shop. They never even gave me a birthday present or celebrated it for that matter. The only birthday present I ever got is Hedwig – my owl and that was this year from Hagrid. I never even knew I'm a witch, never even knew that Voldemort killed my parents."

Ron gasped.

"What?" said Rose.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed.

"I'd have thought you, of all people -"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name." said Rose. "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I know nothing of your customs. Even in Diagon Alley a boy started talking about a lot of things and I just felt like a fool for not knowing anything. I've been reading all the books last month to just not look stupid or anything. He even said…" Rose decided to tell Ron what's been bothering her.

"He even said that wizards of muggle families should even be allowed. I was so scared of other people's reactions I almost didn't want to come." Rose said sadly.

"That's a load of rubbish. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough. Some even become famous for their talent. Not everyone thinks like that."

Rose threw a grateful smile at Ron. With every passing moment that they talked she liked him more and more. They talked for a while and the train had left London. Around half past twelve someone slid open their door. It was a woman with a cart.

"Anything off the cart, dears?"

Rose was starving and took out her money to buy some stuff. Ron's ears turned red, he muttered and mumbled something about having sandwiches. Rose was so happy she could buy something now and when she saw the options she was stunned. She didn't recognize a thing, and everything sounded so… magical. She decided to buy some of everything. She paid the woman eleven sickles and seven knuts.

Ron gaped at her when he saw what Rose had bought.

"Hungry, are you?"

"Yep and curious, I've never had anything like these before."

"Oh right."

Ron unwrapped his sandwiches.

"She always forgets I don't like corned beef." Ron complained when he saw the contents.

"Wanna trade?" Rose stuck out something called a pumpkin pasty. "Go on."

"You don't want this, it's all dry." said Ron. "She hasn't got much time." he added quickly. "You know, with five of us."

"Go on, have a pasty." Rose said happily, she finally got to share something with someone and she loved to do so. It felt really nice.

Ron and Rose ate all the sweets happily and the sandwiches were forgotten.

"What are these?" Rose asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.

"They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise her.

"No." said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." Rose unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So this is Dumbledore!" said Rose.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks."

Rose turned over his card and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

Rose turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.

"He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."

Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.

"Help yourself." said Rose. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."

"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"

Rose stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Rose couldn't keep her eyes off them. Soon she had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. She finally tore her eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "You want to be careful with those." Ron warned Rose. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and mar- malade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a boogerflavored one once." Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."

They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Rose got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

Their compartment door slid open and revealed a teary eyed, round and red-faced boy. Rose realized she saw the boy on the platform with his grandma.

"Sorry, have you seen a toad at all?" The boy looked at Rose, who had put her hair behind her ear at that moment. The boy's eyes glanced at her scar and before they could answer he let out a little scream and disappeared, closing the door.

Ron chuckled and looked at Rose.

"Apparently not everyone can handle the fame." He chuckled.

Rose smiled but felt a bit bad as well.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap. "He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..." He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway…" He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"We haven't seen it." said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er - all right." He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl.

"Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all this very fast.

Rose looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that she hadn't learned all the course books by heart either. She read them sure… but to know them by heart…

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Rose Potter." said Rose.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

"Yeah, I've seen it." Said Rose said a bit dazed.

"I'd have found out everything I could as well." said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it." said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"She was talking about the Hogwarts houses, wasn't she?" Rose remembered them from her book 'Howarts, A History'.

"Oh yeah, wait you know about that?" Ron said a bit surprised.

"I read about it in the same book." Rose said a bit embarrassed. "But I don't know it by heart." She quickly added.

"Oh."

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Rose.

"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter." said Rose, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.

"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Rose was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts." said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."

Rose remembered what Hagrid had told her and stared.

"Really? What happened to them?"

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Rose turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. She supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.

"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

"Er - I don't know any." Rose confessed.

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Rose through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered, and Rose recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Rose with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley, Rose immediately made a face.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Rose Potter's in this compartment. So, it's you, is it?"

"Yes." said Rose reluctantly. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle." said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Rose was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Rose, who was feeling a bit offended with Draco's remark.

"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Rose's, but Rose didn't take it.

"Thanks for the offer but I feel perfectly capable to choose my friends myself, thank you very much." she said coolly. Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter." he said slowly. "You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Rose shot him her iciest glare and Ron stood up.

"Say that again." Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered. Rose decided to back Ron up and stood as well.

"Unless you get out now." She said with as much authority as she could bolster, more bravely than she felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than her or Ron.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, a voice interrupted them.

"What has going on here?" Cedric, who was a lot bigger then all five of them, looked coldly at Draco. Rose saw that he had puffed his chest up a bit as well.

Draco eyed him and eyed his two big friends he was weighing things of when another voice cut through.

"Hey what's the hold up?" Ron's twin brothers came into view and took the situation in.

Draco's face became paler again and he signaled his large friends to move. As soon as they were out of view, Cedric turned to Rose.

"You okay?"

"Yeah thanks."

"Can you believe that guy." Ron exclaimed. "He was going to make his friends fight a second year."

"Third."

"Right."

"Well three third years…"

"…Was a bit much for him I guess." The twins said.

"What are you guys doing? The conductor said we're almost there, you guys should be in your robes already." Rose saw Hermione's hair peek from behind the twins.

"Oh right, mind…"

"…If we change in your compartment?" the twins said.

"Sure." Ron answered.

Rose blushed.

"Euhm… er I'll look for another compartment."

Ron looked at her surprised and then realization dawned on him.

"Oh right."

"You can stay here, we'll look for another compartment." Cedric said.

"Oh ehm. That's alright, there's more of you then there's of me." Rose smiled at him, took her robes and dashed out of the compartment.

She walked around aimlessly until she came across a compartment with just one girl.

"Hi, can I change here? My compartment is full with boys."

The girl looked up and Rose saw she had funny looking glasses on. She was also reading her magazine upside-down.

"Sure."

Rose quickly changed all the while the girl kept staring at her.

"So ehm, thanks." Rose said while gathering her things.

"You're welcome."

Weird girl, Rose thought to herself while walking back to her compartment.

The twins were still there but Cedric had left.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Rose's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, she saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets, Roses signaled the twins to do the same, and joined the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Rose shivered in the cold night air.

"Well see ya!" the twins said and they disappeared in the crowd before either of them could answer. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Rose heard a familiar voice:

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Rosey?"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Rose thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid called over his shoulder.

"Jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Rose and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself.

"Right then - FORWARD!" And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door. "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!

XXX D.


	5. Chapter 5: The Sorting Hat

Chapter 5

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Rose's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide.

The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Rose could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Rose nervously combed through her hair and felt a relief when she sensed that her hair was still wavy and neatly in place.

"I shall return when we are ready for you." said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber. Rose swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" she asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

A test?! Blood started to flow rapidly through Rose's veins. She barely even knew magic. She could try to solve it with her non-wand magic but somehow, she doubted she would pull it off. She looked around and saw how everyone looked terrified, nobody was talking much, except Hermione Granger who seemed happy she learned her books and wondered which spell she would need. Rose's stomach turned. She knew some things from history and potions but didn't really study charms. She though they would explain them in class.

Something happened that made her jump and several other students screamed.

She gasped. So did the people around her. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying:

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance…"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost… I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them.

"About to be Sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now." said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line." Professor McGonagall told the first years. "And follow me."

Feeling oddly as though her legs had turned to lead, Rose got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Rose had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Rose looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

"Wow it really does show the sky." Rose whispered. Ron turned towards her and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I read about it,- "

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." Hermione interrupted her. Ron rolled his eyes to Rose and she refocused on the ceiling. It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens. Rose quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house. Maybe we have to make it float, thought Rose hopefully, that was something she could do.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on!

Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Rose. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Rose smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but she did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather alot; Rose didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for her.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." she said.

"Abbott, Hannah!" A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause…

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Rose saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. And she also saw, her heart skipped a beat, Cedric sitting at the end. He was applauding like the rest. His eyes jumped at Rose and he smiled to her. Rose smiled back widely. She did feel however a pang of disappointment of him being in Hufflepuff. If she ended up with Ron and his brothers – which she was secretly hoping – she'd be in Gryffindor.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

" Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but

"Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Rose could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Rose's imagination, after all she'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. She was starting to feel definitely sick now. She remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. She had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked her.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, Rose noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide.

"Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Rose in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned. A horrible thought struck Rose, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if she wasn't chosen at all? What if she just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off her head and said there had obviously been a mistake and she'd better get back on the train?

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself. There weren't many people left now.

"Moon"

"Nott"

"Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Rose!" As Rose stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Rose Potter?" The last thing Rose saw before the hat dropped over her eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at her.

She was looking at the black inside of the hat, waiting for her house to be named.

"Hmmm." Said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult, Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see and a brilliant mind as well. There's talent, my goodness yes, you don't really need a wand, do you? And a good thirst to prove yourself, earn your place among the wizarding world. Not that you need to dear…

Where shall I put you?

Rose gripped the edge of the stool and though, Hufflepuf or Gryffindor.

"Made friends, already have we? You shouldn't let your friends determine your future. Why not Slytherin? Slytherin could take you to greatness."

Rose felt sick to her stomach to know she would be place in the same house as her parent's killer. NOT SLYTHERIN.

"Okay then, let's put you in…. GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose heard how the last word was shouted out into the hall. She took off the hat and walked a bit shakily to her houses table. The Weasley's were shouting in excitement and the whole table roared.

The twins yelled "We got Potter, we got Potter!"

Rose sat down in front of the ghost in the ruff from earlier, he patted her on the hand and it felt like she stuck it into a bucket full of ice.

She scanned the room and saw how the students were concentrated on the rest of the sorting now. Rose glanced at Cedric and he was smiling at her. Although looking a bit disappointed? She scanned the room further and could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest to her sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her a thumbs up. Rose grinned back at him. She scanned the table further and there in the middle, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Rose recognized him at once from the card she'd gotten out of a chocolate frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Rose spotted professor Quirrell as well. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.

Now there were only four people left to be sorted.

"Thomas Dean." a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Rose at the Gryffindor table.

"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Rose crossed her fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose clapped as loudly as the rest and Ron collapsed into the chair next to her.

"Well done, Ron, excellent." said Percy Weasley Pompously across Rose as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Rose looked at the golden plates and suddenly realized how hungry she was. The sweets on the train seemed ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome." he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Rose didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"He's peculiar…" She said.

Percy looked at her with a smile.

"He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad. Potatoes, Rose?"

Rose's mouth fell open, the dishes in front of her were now piled with food.

She had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.

The Dursleys had never exactly starved Rose, except for the times she was punished. At normal meals, she didn't really get the opportunity to eat as much as she wanted either. Dudley had always quickly stuffed down everything Rose liked even if it made him sick.

Rose quickly piled everything she wanted on her plate and begat to eat. It was all delicious.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Rose cut up her steak.

"Can't you -?"

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years." said the ghost.

"I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.

"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said.

"So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."

Rose looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Rose was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding - "

As Rose helped herself to some ice-cream, the talk turned to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.

"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch." said Neville. "But the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

On Rose's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons

"I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"

"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing - "

Rose was starting to feel warm and sleepy. She realized a feeling of happiness dawned over her. She never felt as happy as this before. As much at home either.

She looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.

Suddenly the hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban right into Rose's eyes. He froze and his eyes slightly widened. Rose had the feeling the teacher was shocked by her presence. They looked at each other a bit longer until suddenly a sharp hot pain shot the scar on Roses forehead.

"Ouch!" Rose brought her hand to her scar.

"What is it?" Percy asked with worry.

"N-nothing." The pain was gone as quickly as it came. Rose looked at the teacher again but he was focused on his conversation with Quirrell again.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked Percy.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Rose kept an eye on Snape for a while but he didn't look at her again.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Rose laughed, but he was one of the few who did.

"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Rose noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Rose's legs were like lead again, but only because she was so tired and full of food. she was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Rose was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice.

"Peeves - show yourself" A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. "Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy. Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed. "You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again.

"The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directed the boys through one door to their dormitory and the girls through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.

"I'm so excited for classes to start." Hermione exclaimed.

Some of the other girl sighed.

"Did you see…"

Rose never even heard what she needed to see, she dozed off immediately.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Let me know what you think 😊

XXX D.


	6. Chapter 6: The Potionmaster

The Potionmaster

"There, look."

"Where?"

"The two kids with red hair, the girl"

"With red curls?"

"Did you see her face?"

"Did you see her scar?"

Whispers followed Rose from the moment she left her dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her, or doubled back to pass her in the corridors again, staring.

Rose wished they wouldn't, because she was trying to concentrate on finding her way to classes. There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending.

It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Rose was sure the coats of armor could walk. The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!" Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Rose and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing. Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

When you succeeded at finding your classroom there were the classes themselves. Rose enjoyed them very much, more than the classes in muggle school. And they were a lot more diverse than you would think. Rose called herself lucky she had already read all her books once, so she could follow quickly. More quickly than Ron most of the time, not that she was about to brag about it.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets.

Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.

Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Rose's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Rose had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger and Rose had made any difference to their matches. Although Rose hadn't the slightest idea why she had succeeded. Professor McGonagall showed the class how theirs had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione and Rose a rare smile.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

As the classes went on Rose was relieved that she wasn't miles behind, on the contrary, she excelled in some classes. There was so much to learn that the wizards from wizard families didn't even have that much of a head start.

Friday was a big day for Rose and Ron, they found the great hall without even getting lost once.

"What do we have today?" Ron asked Rose while she was adding milk to her cereal.

"Double potions with the slytherins." She answered.

Ron groaned. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them - we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Well McGonagall doesn't favor us, that's for sure." Rose sighed.

Just then, the mail arrived. Rose had gotten used to this by now, but it had given her a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps. Hedwig hadn't brought Rose anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble her ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Rose's plate. Rose tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Rosey,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

Rose borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled 'Yes, please, see you later' on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.

Potions was interesting, to say the least. Not only the material, which interested Rose greatly, but also the teacher was… odd.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Rose's name. "Ah, Yes." he said softly. "Rose Potter. Our new - celebrity."

Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Rose felt her cheeks redden and focused on something else. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking." he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." More silence followed this little speech. Rose and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly.

"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Rose jumped in her seat and looked wide-eyed at her professor, who was avoiding eye contact for some reason. Wait she read about that for sure and wrecked her brain what it was. The fact that Hermoine's hand shot up quite noticeably was a bit distracting.

"A sleeping potion?"

Snape suddenly looked her in the eye and was surprised.

"Do you know the name of this potion?"

"Living dead?"

"Draught of the Living Dead." Snape sneered. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

That was one Rose remembered well, because she was disgusted by it and intrigued.

"In the stomach of a goat sir, or in a basic potions kit because it cures most poisons."

Again, an air of surprise went over Snapes face. Draco had stopped laughing and shot her glares now and Hermione was looking at her sourly.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

That one wrecked her brain. She had read them multiple times in recipes and they always came in pairs. You never saw them apart. Ah!

"They're the same? It's just a different name?"

"Correct, also known as aconite." Snape stared at her coolly and now Rose recognized the look from somewhere, she just couldn't put a finger to it.

"Well why aren't you all writing this down?" He suddenly snapped.

"He's not even giving you points for that? That was amazing." Ron whispered.

"A point will be taken from Gryffindor. There will be no talking in my class mister Weasley." Draco sniggered at that and Ron grumbled something incomprehensible.

Rose just counted herself lucky that she had read the potions book multiple times because she enjoyed it.

Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like, and Rose, who he seemed to ignore now. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand.

"I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Rose and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. "You - Weasley - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." Ron opened his mouth to give a reply but Rose kicked him under the table.

"Sshh, I don't think Snape will appreciate your reply."

Ron grumbled something and continued working.

Snape seemed to ignore Rose for the rest of the class, except when an hour later she cleaned up and stood to leave. He was looking at straight at her with that same look in his eyes.

When she closed the door behind her Rose realized where she had seen that look before. Aunt Petunia wore it all the time, fear mixed with nostalgia.

At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door. When Rose knocked, they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying.

"Back, Fang - back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.

"Hang on." he said. "Back, Fang." He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.

"Make yerselves at home." said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.

"This is Ron." Rose told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.

"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles.

"I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Rose and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first -lessons. Fang rested his head on Rose's knee and drooled all over her robes. Rose and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git."

"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Fitch puts her up to it."

"Hagrid, did Snape know my mother?"

Ron looked at her with surprise and Hagrid was taken a bit aback.

"I think he went to school the same year as yeh mum, yeah. Why?"

Rose told him about the potions class. Hagrid told Rose not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. Rose's gut told her otherwise though, but she didn't press on.

"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals."

While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Rose picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

Rose remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.

"Hagrid!" said Rose. "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"

Hagrid avoided eye contact at that point and offered them another rock cake. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for? As Rose and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse. Rose had a lot to think about. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And was there something to know between Snape and her mother?

"Let me just get to the bathroom for a sec." Ron said. Rose nodded absentmindedly. She really wanted to know what Snape was all about, learn more about her parents but she didn't really have the courage to ask him.

Rose was pacing while thinking it all over. She turned and walked right up against a fleshy wall.

"Ouch!"

She instantly knew she had lost her balance and waited to feel the impact with the cold hard floor. But it never came, instead she felt two strong arms steadying her.

Rose looked up with surprise and saw she had walked against Cedric.

"Hi."

"Oh eh hi." She took a step back to create some distance and concentrated very hard not to blush.

Cedric was smiling at her.

"So, Gryffindor heh?"

"Yup, so, Hufflepuff huh?" She mimicked him.

Cedric chuckled.

"How are you finding it so far?"

"What?"

"Everything."

"Oh, interesting to say the least."

Cedric threw an inviting smile at her. Beckoning her to tell more.

"Classes are a lot more fun than muggle classes were. Though a whole lot more difficult. I'm getting a bit frustrated with the students. Not all of them mind you, just those that stare at me like an animal in the zoo. I'm feeling really happy because I finally made some friends for the first time in my…"

Rose realized she was rambling and cut herself off.

"You can go on." Cedric smile.

"Nah, then I'd have to go into the whole sobstory of how I grew up and I don't want to lay all that on you."

Cedric looked confused.

"Sobstory?"

Rose hesitated, he was so nice and inviting but she doesn't really want to tell everyone how she grew up. She didn't need the pity it would invoke.

"I had a crappy childhood until now, let's leave it at that."

Rose looked at the floor tiles a bit unsure of what to say next.

If she wouldn't have, she would have seen how Cedric reached out to her but changed his mind.

"Let's get some food, I'm starving… oh."

Rose looked up and saw Ron standing there. He was done with his bathroom break.

"Oh well I'll be going now."

"Sure, see you around."

"Sure."

While Rose and Ron were walking to the Great Hall, Ron turned to her with his eyebrows raised.

"Why were you talking to him?"

"He helped me twice on the train, I was just being friendly."

Rose went to sit on her usual spot at the table. She threw a glance at Cedric and he smiled. Rose smiled back, feeling happy the different houses thing wasn't a thing.

* * *

I hope you guy's enjoyed :)

Let me know what you think!

XXX D.


	7. Chapter 7: Midnight Adventure

Chapter 7

Midnight Adventure

Rose never thought someone could frustrate her as much as Dudley, but that was before she met Draco Malfoy. Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday… and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.

"Great, just what I needed. Being at great risk to fall flat on my face right in front of Malfoy." Rose grunted. This was putting a cork in her enthusiasm. She was looking forward to learn how to fly, she expected it to feel like freedom. Ron chuckled behind her.

"You don't know if you'll fall flat on your face." Ron said to calm her nerves.

"Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."

Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the House Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom. Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had al-

ready had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared his dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. Privately, Rose felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book — not that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.

Rose hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table. A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh . . ." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet.

". . . you've forgotten something . . ."

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Rose and Ron jumped to their feet. Rose was mulling over in her head how to get it back from Malfoy without making a scene, but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."

Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.

"Just looking." he said and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

At three-thirty that afternoon, Rose, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance. The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Rose had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Rose studied her broom, it was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom." called Madam Hooch at the front. "And say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted.

Rose's broom jumped into her hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Rose. There was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground. Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Rose and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —"

But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle — twelve feet — twenty feet. Rose saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and…

WHAM! A thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight. Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.

"Broken wrist." Rose heard her mutter. "Come on, boy… it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."

Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him. No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

The other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut up, Malfoy." snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl.

"Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass.

"It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

"Give it to me, Malfoy." Rose said quietly.

Suddenly the field went quiet and everyone was looking at Rose and Malfoy. Malfoy was giving her a nasty smile.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find… How about up a tree?"

"Give it to me." Rose said more sternly authority sounding through. She really had it with bully's.

Malfoy jumped on his broom and took off. He wasn't lying when he said he was a good flyer. He rose up to the highest tree and stayed level there.

"Come and get it Potter!"

Rose's cheeks got red from anger and before she actually though about what she was doing she climbed on her own broom.

"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move. You'll get us all into trouble."

Rose didn't hear her because of her anger and just kicked off. And it was… liberating. The air rushed through her long wavy hair and her robes whipped out behind her. She rose higher than Malfoy and extreme joy washed over her. This was effortless, she didn't need to read books, or train for this, this was a part of her. She laughed at the feeling and did some circles. Not only was it liberation but it was a revelation. She was a witch. She could feel it now, this was no dream or happy mistake. She wasn't a muggle in her core, no, she was a witch and while flying she could feel it in every cell of her body. She made a few circles and heard gasps and screams from the ground. She spotted Malfoy and grinned. This was a playing field where she could best him. She turned the broomstick sharply to face Malfoy midair. Malfoy looked stunned and that look on his face made her grin even more.

"Give it here Malfoy!" she called to him.

"Oh yeah?" Malfoy sneered but not with as much confidence as usual.

Rose leaned forward and raced to him, he got out of the way just in time. She sharply turned so she would face him again.

"No backup from the two gorilla's up here, eh Malfoy!" Rose yelled.

Malfoy now looked worried.

"Catch it, if you can then!" Malfoy yelled back to her. He threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back to the ground.

Rose watched as the ball rose up high in the air and then started to fall. She saw this as in slow motion and started to race after it.

She leaned forward and raced to the ground in a steep dive. The wind blew in her ears and the ground approached rapidly. She heard some screams but she ignored them and stretched her hand out. A foot from the ground she caught it and she quickly pulled her broom straight, making it level with the ground again. She jumped off triumphantly and held the glass ball in her fist.

"ROSE POTTER!"

Rose's heart sank faster than she had just dived. Professor MacGonagall was running towards her.

"Never… in all my time at Hogwarts…"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously.

"How dare you… might have broken your neck…"

"It wasn't her fault, Professor —"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil —"

"But Malfoy —"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."

Rose caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as she left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. She was going to be expelled, she just knew it. She wanted to say something to defend herself, but there seemed to be something wrong with her voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at her. She had to jog

to keep up. Now she'd done it. She hadn't even lasted two weeks. She'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when she turned up on the doorstep?

Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to her. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Rose trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking her to Dumbledore. She thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps she could be Hagrid's assistant. Her stomach twisted as she imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards and witches while she stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

Wood? thought Rose, bewildered. Was Wood a cane she was going to use on her?

But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.

"Follow me, you two." said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Rose.

"In here."

Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the boy and girl.

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood… I've found you a Seeker."

Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely." said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The girl's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"

"Yes, ma'am." Rose answered a bit dazed. She didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. What she did know though was that it didn't seem like she was going to be expelled.

"She caught that thing in her hand after a fifty-foot dive." Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch herself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."

Wood looked curiously at her hand and Rose obliged by opening her hand and showing the remembrall. Wood gasped and was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.

"No…?" Rose said still confused.

"Wood is captain of the Gryffindor team." Professor McGonagall explained.

"She's just the build for a Seeker, too." said Wood, now walking around Rose and staring at her. "Light … speedy… we'll have to get her a decent broom, Professor … a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."

"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…"

"Wait what? Are you… are you saying I'll be in the Quidditch team?" Realization of the situation started to dawn over Rose.

"Unless you don't want too…" Wood said.

"Are you serious, I'd love too!" She didn't know the sport but she did love flying, she was made for flying. And being on the Quidditch team meant more flying.

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Rose.

"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Then she suddenly smiled.

"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."

"You're joking!"

It was dinnertime. Rose had just finished telling Ron what had happened when she'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.

"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never… you must be the youngest House player in about… "

"— a century." said Rose, shoveling pie into her mouth. She felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon.

"Wood told me."

Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Rose.

"I start training next week." said Rose. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Rose, and hurried over.

"Well done." said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too… Beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year." said Fred.

"We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Rose, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"And swooning, like a damsel in distress that got saved by his white knight." George chuckled.

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting on the train back to the Muggles?"

"You sound a lot braver with your two feet back on the ground and your two gorillas next to you, Malfoy." Rose said coolly and took another bite off her dinner.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only… no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"

"Of course, she has." said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm her second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.

"Crabbe." he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room, that's always unlocked."

When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Rose looked at each other.

"What did you just get me into?" said Rose. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"

"Well, a second's there to take over if you die." said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Rose's face, he added quickly.

"But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."

"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"

"Throw it away and punch him on the nose." Ron suggested.

"You have got to be kidding me." Rose exclaimed.

"Excuse me."

They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.

"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.

Hermione ignored him and spoke to Rose.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying… "

"Bet you could." Ron muttered.

"— and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"Well, it's my choice if I'm going to be selfish, is it not?" Said Rose. Tired of being bullied around.

"Good-bye." said Ron.

Hermione huffed and strode off and as she walked away Rose felt a pang of guilt.

The rest of the evening Ron tried to give Rose as much advice as he could.

"If he tries to curse you, dodge them, because I don't remember how to block it."

There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Rose felt she was pushing her luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness. She wouldn't hear the end of it if she didn't show. She couldn't imagine the mockery that was going to follow her.

Rose pretended to fall asleep in the common room. Hermione tried to 'wake' her but Rose didn't budge.

"I know that you're faking to be able to sneak away easier." Hermione hissed in her ear.

"Hey, Hermione, leave her be. It's been an exciting day for her."

That was one of the Weasley twins, she didn't know which one.

"Yeah, just let her sleep." Said the other one, his voice was a bit deeper, she'd have to listen for that when she could see them.

Someone laid a blanket on her.

"I heard what you're going to do. Knock 'em dead." One of the twins whispered. Rose tried very hard not to smile.

She must have dozed off at some point because Ron shook her shoulder to wake her.

"Come on its time."

Rose stretched for a moment and then got up. She followed Ron to the portrait.

"I can't believe you're going to do this, Rose."

They turned and there stood Hermione in her pink bathrobe.

"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother." Hermione snapped. "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

Roses eyes went wide in surprise. She felt betrayal and shot glares at Hermione.

"Come on." she said to Ron. She pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."

She was so full of herself! Rose angrily turn around.

"All 'your' points? We both knew about that, we both were awarded points Hermione. There are others just as smart as you, they just don't brag about it like you do."

"Go away." Ron said while pulling Rose further along the corridor.

Hermione looked slightly hurt.

"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —"

But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor Tower.

"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.

"That's your problem." said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."

They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"You are not." Ron grumbled.

"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve…" said Ron loudly.

"Shut up, both of you!" said Rose sharply. "I heard something."

It was a sort of snuffling.

"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."

"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." Ron Whispered

"How's your arm?" asked Rose.

"Fine." said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."

"Good. Well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —"

"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet. "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."

Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you. Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Rose hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn, Rose expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Rose took out her wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.

"He's late, maybe he's chickened out." Ron whispered.

Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Rose had only just raised her wand when they heard someone speak… and it wasn't Malfoy.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."

It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Rose waved madly at the other three to follow her as quickly as possible. They scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped around the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.

"They're in here somewhere." they heard him mutter. "Probably hiding."

"This way!" Rose mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run. He tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

"RUN!" Rose yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following. They swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Rose in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going. They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.

"I think we've lost him." Rose panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.

"I… told… you." Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest. "I… told… you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower." said Ron. "Quickly as possible."

"Malfoy tricked you." Hermione said to Rose. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you… Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Rose thought she was probably right, but she wasn't going to tell her that.

"Let's go."

It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Shut up, Peeves… please… you'll get us thrown out."

Peeves cackled.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."

"Should tell Filch, I should." said Peeves in a sanity voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."

Rose openen her mouth to reason with him, he sounded like he didn't really wanted to tell Filch but Ron interrupted her.

"Get out of the way." snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves.

"Ron, no!" Rose yelled.

But it was too late.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, up some stairs and right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door and it was locked.

"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door. "We're done for! This is the end!"

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could towards Peeves's shouts.

"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Rose's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered. "Alohomora!"

Nothing happened.

"What now?"

"Weird, there must be a blocking spell on it."

"Or you're just not as smart as you think you are."

As Ron and Hermione where bickering in whispers, Neville was trembling in a corner and the footsteps of Filch were getting closer, Rose concentrated.

Open, you damned lock. She visualized the lock turning and the door swinging open.

And suddenly, the lock clicked and the door swung open, they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please.'"

"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.

"All right — please."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!"

And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"He thinks this door is locked." Rose whispered. "I think we'll be okay."

"How'd you get that door open Rose?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I just saw you staring at it." Hermione said.

"I — get off, Neville!" For Neville, had been tugging on the sleeve of Rose's bathrobe for the last minute.

"What?"

Rose turned around and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, she was sure she'd walked into a nightmare. This was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.

They weren't in a room, as she had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.

They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes, three noses twitching and quivering in their direction, three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.

It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Rose knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.

Rose groped for the doorknob, between Filch and death, she'd take Filch.

They fell backward, Rose slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared, all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster.

They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.

"Not important, pig's snout, pig's snout." panted Rose, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.

It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"I'm guessing guarding something." Rose pondered.

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again.

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I didn't, I was preoccupied with its heads." Rose said annoyed by her tone of authority.

"It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."

"Like I suggested." Rose said.

Hermione stood up, glaring at them.

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed, or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

Ron stared after her, his mouth open.

"No, we don't mind." he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

But Hermione had given Rose something else to think about as she climbed into bed. The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide, except perhaps Hogwarts.

It looked as though Rose had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.

* * *

I hope you guy's enjoyed this chapter!

Let me know what you think.

XXX D.


	8. Chapter 8: Halloween

Chapter 8

Halloween

Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Rose and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Rose and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Rose filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous." said Ron.

"Or both." said Rose.

But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Rose and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.

Rose was relieved as well that they seemed to have forgotten about her non-wand magic because of the three-headed dog. He did give a good distraction from it. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later. As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls.

Rose was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of her, knocking her bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel. Rose ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor McGonagall

Rose had difficulty hiding her glee as she handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously.

"I've never even touched one." They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle.

Malfoy seized the package from Rose and felt it.

"That's a broomstick." he said, throwing it back to Rose with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it.

"It's not any old broomstick." he said. "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Rose.

"Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle." Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

"Shut it, Malfoy. Nobody likes a spoiled brat." Rose said.

Malfoy's face turned angry but before he could reply, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor." said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right." said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Rose.

"Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir." said Rose, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it." she added.

Rose and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well, it's true." Rose chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase.

"If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team..."

"So, I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Rose's hand.

"I thought you were Ignoring us?" said Rose.

"Yes, don't stop now." said Ron, "It's doing us so much good."

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

Rose had a lot of trouble keeping her mind on her lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where her new broomstick was lying under her bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where she'd be learning to play that night.

She bolted her dinner that evening without noticing what she was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.

"Wow." Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Rose's bedspread. Even Rose, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Rose left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. She had never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Rose of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Rose mounted her broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling! She swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever she wanted at her lightest touch.

"Hey, Potter, come down!' Oliver Wood had arrived.

He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Rose landed next to him.

"Very nice." said Wood, her eyes glinting.

"I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.

"Right." said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

"Three Chasers." Rose repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball. "This ball's called the Quaffle." said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score." Rose recited.

"So, that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"It's a muggle sport, but it's way boring." said Rose quickly.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper. I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers, one Keeper." said Rose, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So, what are they for?" She pointed at the three balls left inside the box. "I'll show you now." said Wood. "Take this."

He handed Rose a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do." Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."

He showed Rose two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Rose noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.

"Stand back." Wood warned Rose. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Rose's face.

Rose swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking her nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air. It zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team, the Weasley twins are ours, it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So, think you've got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle, the Keeper guards the goal posts, the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team." Rose reeled off.

"Very good," said Wood.

Rose looked at the bludger warily.

"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Rose asked, hoping she sounded offhand.

"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers."

"Unless they crack my head open." Rose said.

"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers, I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

"This." said Wood. "Is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they

nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages. I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. Well, that's it… any questions?"

Rose shook her head. She understood what she had to do all right. She gave Wood a big smile, she couldn't wait to try it out, and to get on her broomstick again.

"We won't practice with the Snitch yet." said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate. "It's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."

He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Rose were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Rose to catch.

Rose didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.

"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year." said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."

Perhaps it was because she was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all her homework, but Rose could hardly believe it when she realized that she'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. Her lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting the longer she followed them.

On Halloween morning, they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Rose's partner was Seamus Finnigan.

Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Rose's broomstick had arrived.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual.

"Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too, never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Rose let Seamus practice first. It seemed to be rather difficult, he swished and flicked but the feather stayed on the desktop.

"You try." Said Seamus, a bit frustrated.

Rose swished and flicked while chanting the charm. The feather rose up into the air, practically to the ceiling of the classroom.

"Good job, Miss Potter." Cried Professor Flitwick. "Look everyone Miss Potter succeeded. 10 points for Gryffindor." Rose blushed. She quickly let the feather descend again.

"Your turn again." Rose said.

Seamus grumbled something in response.

"Try visualizing it. That helps me anyway." Rose whispered to him casually.

"Okay, here it goes."

Seamus swished and flicked while chanting. The feather rose a few inches. Seamus smiled happily at her. She smiled back.

"Why doesn't it go higher like with you?" Seamus asked and he prodded the feather. Which made it catch fire. Rose quickly put it out with her hat.

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong." Rose heard Hermione snap.

"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever." Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Good job Miss Granger. Another 10 points for Gryffindor." Professor Flitwick said.

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

Rose was a bit wary of the thundercloud above his head.

"Hey Rose, thanks for the help!" Seamus said, passing her by. After Hermione had made her feather float, Professor Flitwick had given Seamus a new feather. Rose had whispered tips to him. By the end of class, he was one of few who made their feather float high enough.

"It's no problem, Seamus."

"See! You're smart but you don't rub it in everyone's face like she does. You give discreet tips, you don't look down on people. It's no wonder no one can stand her." Ron said to Rose when Seamus was gone and they pushed their way into the crowded corridor.

"She's a nightmare, honestly. "

Someone knocked into Rose as they hurried past him.

It was Hermione. Rose caught a glimpse of her face and was startled to see that she was in tears.

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

"Ron!" Rose said surprised. She despised bully's and she didn't want her best friend to be one.

Ron looked at her and saw that Rose was fairly angry.

"Alright, alright. I'll apologize when I see her."

But Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Rose and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.

Ron looked still more awkward at this.

"If she doesn't show up for the feast we're going to find her, okay?" Rose said sternly.

Ron nodded.

Once they entered the great hall Rose was amazed. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.

The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. Rose was just helping herself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped.

"Troll… in the dungeons… thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects." he rumbled. "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Rose asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid." said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Rose suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.

"Ron! …Hermione."

"What about her?"

"She doesn't know about the troll." Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right." he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Rose behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Rose whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Beats me."

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor." Rose said, but Ron held up his hand.

"Can you smell something?" Rose sniffed and a foul stench reached her nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean. And then they heard it… a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed… at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them.

They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The keys in the lock." Rose muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea." said Ron nervously.

They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Rose managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

'Yes!" Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop… a high, petrified scream… and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.

"Oh, no." said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Rose gasped.

"Hermione!" they said together.

It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Rose pulled the door open and they ran inside. Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Confuse it!" Rose said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, she threw it as hard as she could against the wall. The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Rose. It hesitated, then made for her instead, lifting its club as it went.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Rose to run around it.

"Come on, run, run!" Rose yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Rose and Hermione again, who were nearest and had no way to escape in their corner.

Ron then did something that was both very brave and very stupid. He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. The troll couldn't feel Ron hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Ron's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped… it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils. Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Ron clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright.

Rose let go of her and stepped forward. She raised her wand and chanted.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head.

The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble. Ron got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Rose turned to Hermione and helped her to stand.

It was Hermione who spoke first.

"Is it… dead?"

"I don't think so." said Rose. "I think it's just been knocked out."

Ron bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.

"Urgh - troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape bent over the troll.

Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Rose. Rose had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Rose's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Rose looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air.

"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" Snape gave Rose a swift, piercing look. Rose looked at the floor, she didn't want to see the look in his eyes. Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall… they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

"I went looking for the troll because I… I thought I could deal with it on my own… you know, because I've read all about them."

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Ron stuck his wand up its nose and Rose knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Rose and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.

"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them.

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" Hermione hung her head. Rose was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as impossible as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this." said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left. Professor McGonagall turned to Rose and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than ten points." Ron grumbled.

"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that." Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her, or cause her to flee to the girl's bathroom." Rose reminded him. Ron blushed with a guilty face at that.

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout." they said and entered.

The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said at once."

Thanks." And hurried off to get plates.

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

* * *

I hope you guy's enjoyed the chapter.

Let me know what you think.

XXX D.


	9. Chapter 9: Broomtrouble

Chapter 9

Broomtrouble

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots. The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Rose would be playing in her first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship. Hardly anyone had seen Rose play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Rose should be kept, well, secret. But the news that she was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Rose didn't know which was worse… people telling her she'd be brilliant or people telling her they'd be running around underneath her holding a mattress. Although the last remarks were only said by Slytherins.

It was really lucky that Rose now had Hermione as a friend. She didn't know how she'd have gotten through all her homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She knew the right answers and could make it, but just didn't have the time anymore to read it over again to do spelling checks. Hermione was happy to do it for her.

She had also lent Rose 'Quidditch Through the Ages', which turned out to be a very interesting read. Rose learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473. That Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them. That although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.

Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Rose and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it. The day before Rose's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Rose noticed at once that Snape was limping. Rose, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view, they were sure it wouldn't be allowed.

Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Rose showed him. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school." said Snape.

"I'm sorry, Professor. It won't happen again." Snape looked at her for a few seconds.

"Good, give it to me for now. You can come and fetch it later." Rose handed over the book and he walked off.

"He's just made that rule up. I wonder why he never takes point from you." Ron muttered angrily as Snape limped away. Rose shrugged.

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him." said Ron bitterly.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Rose, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Ron's Charms homework for him. Rose was checking her own. Ron tried once to copy hers but she didn't allow it and she forbid Rose to let him copy hers. ("How else will he learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, he got the right answers anyway.

Rose felt restless. She wanted 'Quidditch Through the Ages back', to take her mind off her nerves about tomorrow. Getting up, she told Ron and Hermione she was going fetch it from Snape.

"Better you than me." they said together.

"He told me I could come and get it later." She made his way down to the staffroom and knocked.

"Professor could I have my book back please?"

She pushed the door open… and a horrible scene met her eyes.

Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"POTTER!" Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Rose gulped.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back."

"GET OUT! OUT!" Rose left quickly. She sprinted back upstairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Rose joined them. "What's the matter?"

In a low whisper, Rose told them what she'd seen.

"You know what this means?" Ron said breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him… he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Hermione's and Rose's eyes were wide.

"No - he wouldn't." Hermione said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something." snapped Ron.

"I'm with Hermione, Ron, I don't think he was after it. I actually think he was suspecting that the dog was a diversion and went to check it. Maybe the dog was agitated because someone had already passed by?"

Ron grumbled something.

"But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?" Hermione said.

Rose went to bed with her head buzzing with the same question. One of the girls was snoring loudly, but Rose couldn't sleep. She tried to empty her mind - she needed to sleep, she had to, she had her first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Rose had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.

The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast."

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast." wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry." Rose felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.

"Rose, you need your strength." said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus." said Rose, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.

"Not helping!" Hermione bit to him.

Fred and George stopped by.

Hermione betrayed her immediately.

"She won't eat."

Rose shot her a glare.

"Come on, Rose. Trust me, you don't feel like it now, but when you're up in the air, you'll be wishing you had some breakfast." Said Fred. Rose had learned to keep them apart by voice. Fred's was lighter and Georges was lower, a tad bit more serious.

"Here." George put some butter on a small piece of toast and put it on her plate.

"Eat, Wood will kill you, if you faint from hunger during the game."

George's eyes pierced in hers and Rose sighed.

"Fine." She took a bite out of the piece of toast.

Hermione mouthed 'Thank you' to the twins. After Rose had eaten her toast they strode off.

A bit later Rose got up.

"I should get going."

"Good luck."

"You'll be fantastic."

Rose walked with heavy feet to the exit.

"Hey, Rose!"

Rose turned and saw Cedric jogging up to her. She hadn't spoken to him since that awkward conversation. Just an occasional 'hi' in the hallway. That was it.

"Hi Cedric."

"So, the rumors are true? You're Gryffindor's seeker?"

Rose didn't see the point of keeping it a secret anymore.

"Yeah."

"Congratulations!" Cedric smiled happily at her and Rose smiled back weakly.

"Wow, you look like a ghost. Are you trembling?" Cedric put a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and firm.

"I… I'm just nervous. Like really nervous. Everyone expects me to be extra-ordinary, to win the cup for Gryffindor and I just can't help but thinking. What if I fail? I will never hear the end of it. Draco…"

"Is he still bothering you?"

"He's just pestering me, all the time. I learned to live with it. But if I fail I don't think I'll be able to take it like I've been doing now."

Rose let out shakily, she was looking at the ground the whole time. She never really said out loud how much Draco could bother her, even to Hermione and Ron.

Cedric put his other hand on her other should so he was clasping both shoulders now.

"Rose."

Rose looked up, straight in his eyes.

"Don't let him get to you. He's jealous. He's a rich spoiled brat and he expected that everyone would be at his feet. Except everyone is at your feet."

"Yeah, right."

"Right. Everyone talks about you, you're famous but you don't rub it in. You're kind to everyone… well almost everyone and you're insanely smart."

Rose shot him a smile.

"Do they really say that?"

"Yeah, almost everyone, well… except Slytherins though. Don't worry about the game. Trust me the moment you get on your broom, the nerves fall away and you'll know exactly what to do."

Cedric smiled at her again and pulled his hands away.

"Now go on, wipe the floor with them."

Rose smiled back with a bit more warmth now.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Rose turned and jogged to the field, feeling a tad better now.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Rose, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Rose and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men." he said.

"And women." said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women." Wood agreed.

"This is it."

"The big one." said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for." said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart." Fred told Rose. "We were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two." said Wood.

"This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say. "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Rose followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping her knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you." she said, once they were all gathered around her.

Rose noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Rose thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. Her heart skipped. She felt braver.

"Mount your brooms, please." Rose clambered onto her Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.

Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor… what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor." The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve… back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes… Flint flying like an eagle up there… he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle… that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and… OUCH… that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger… Quaffle taken by the Slytherins… that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger… sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which… nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes… she's really flying… dodges a speeding Bludger… the goal posts are ahead… come on, now, Angelina… Keeper Bletchley dives… misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut." said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck.

"But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope." said Ron. "Rose hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'." said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Rose.

Way up above them, Rose was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.

"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch." Wood had said.

"We don't want you attacked before you have to be."

When Angelina had scored, Rose had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off her feelings. Cedric had been right. The moment she flew up on her broomstick the nerves were gone. Like she left them on the ground. All she felt now, was determination. Now she was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once she caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Fred Weasley came chasing after it and knocked it away just in time.

"All right there, Rose?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.

"Yes, thanks to you!" she shouted after him. He winked at her.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying.

"Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the… wait a moment… was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Rose saw it. In a great rush of excitement, she dived downward after the streak of gold.

Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch. All the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch. Rose was faster than Higgs… she could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead… she put on an extra spurt of speed…

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below. Marcus Flint had blocked Rose on purpose, and Rose's broom spun off course, Rose holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling.

"Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" "But this isn't soccer, Dean." Ron reminded him. Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.

"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Rose outta the air."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So… after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul 'Jordan, I'm warning you -"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

It was as Rose dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past her head, that it happened. Her broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, she thought she was going to fall. She gripped the broom tightly with both her hands and knees. She'd never felt anything like that. It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck her off. But Nimbus Two Thousand's did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Rose tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal- posts… she had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out… and then she realized that her broom was completely out of her control. She couldn't turn it. She couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated her.

Lee was still commentating.

"Slytherin in possession… Flint with the Quaffle… passes Spinnet… passes Bell… hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose… only joking, Professor… Slytherins score - A no... The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Rose's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying her slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Rosey thinks she's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say she'd lost control of her broom... but she can't have..."

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Rose all over the stands. her broom had started to roll over and over, with Her only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Rose's broom had given a wild jerk and Rose swung off it. She was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have." Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic… no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Rose, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.

"I knew it." Hermione gasped. "Snape - look." Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Rose and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something - jinxing the broom." said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me." Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Rose. Her broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for her to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Rose safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good… every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still.

They dropped lower and circled beneath her, obviously hoping to catch her if she fell.

Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Hermione." Ron muttered desperately.

Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him, she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row… Snape would never know what had happened. It was enough. Up in the air, Rose was suddenly able to clamber back on to her broom.

"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. Rose was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw her clap her hand to her mouth as though she was about to be sick… she hit the field on all fours… coughed… and something gold fell into her hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" she shouted triumphantly, waving it above her head, and the game ended in complete confusion.

"She didn't catch it, she nearly swallowed it." Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference. Rose hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results. Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.

Rose heard none of this, though. She was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.

"It was Snape." Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish." said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

"I have to admit Hermione, it does seem very drastic." Rose said.

"Rose found out something about him." Ron told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot and Rose grunted. She still wasn't convinced.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"Fluffy?" Rose said with surprise.

"Yeah… he's mine… bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year… I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"Yes?" said Rose eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore." said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it." Ron said.

"Rubbish." said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Rose?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.

"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Rose's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student!"

"Hermione, I read about jinxes as well. To counter one, you have to do exactly the same. Chant the whole time without breaking eye contact." Rose said calmly.

"But why did it stop when I conjured the flames?"

"Did you knock over people in your hurry, bumped into someone?"

Hermione began hesitating.

"A few yes."

"Then we have a whole list of suspects." Rose said.

"Allright, but either scenario means someone is after the stone. With the troll as a distraction… "

"Now, listen to me, all three of yeh… yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"

"Aha!" said Rose. "So, there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself.


	10. Chapter 10: The Mirror of Erised

Chapter 10

The Mirror of Erised

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry." said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class. "For all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Rose as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.

Rose, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.

Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Rose as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Rose had managed to stay on her bucking broomstick.

So, Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Rose about having no proper family. It was true that Rose wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Rose had signed up at once. She didn't feel sorry for herself at all, this would probably be the best Christmas she'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

But it still stung. She was happy to stay here with her friends, but it didn't make her less sad about her situation back home. Since she'd been in Hogwarts she experienced true happiness and friends. I made her realize how dire her situation was at home and she really didn't want to go back. Having it rubbed I her face didn't help.

A sizzle demanded her attention and she saw steam leaving from her kettle. The cause was a little drop. She touched her cheeks and found wetness. Embarrassed she casually whipped her tears away.

When she looked up, she was looking right in the eyes of Professor Snape. Who was looking shocked. Great. She blushed and continued working.

"I bet if your parents would still be alive, you'd be in the same situation because you-"

"Mister Malfoy! Would you please concentrate on your potion, instead of talking? It's turning into the wrong color!"

Malfoy looked like he was slapped across the face. Snape never criticized him, he was Snape's favorite. He stared at Snape. And the rest of the class had gone really quiet.

"Mister Malfoy, now please." Snape snapped.

Rose swallowed and straightened her back once the tears were gone. She wouldn't let him get to her. By the end of class, she was feeling a lot better. The fact that Malfoy shut up for the rest of class, helped with that.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoys cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose… that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!" Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape." said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree.

"Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid." said Snape silkily.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him." said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back. "One of these days, I'll get him…"

"Well next time, be careful who's around okay." said Rose.

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas." said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So, the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to -the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree… put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one." said Hermione. "And that reminds me, Rose, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right." said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working." Rose told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here - I've told yeh - drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all." said Hermione.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Rose added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere… just give us a hint… I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin." said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then." said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what someone was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time. He was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library. Tens of thousands of books, thousands of shelves, hundreds of narrow rows.

Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.

Rose wandered over to the Restricted Section. She had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and she knew she'd never get one.

These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"What are you looking for, girl?"

"Nothing." said Rose.

Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at her.

"You'd better get out, then. Go on… out!"

Wishing she'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Rose left the library. She, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk a teacher hearing what they were up to. Rose waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but she wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.

"Hi Rose."

Rose turned and saw Cedric walking towards her.

"Hey Cedric." She smiled widely at him.

"I told you, you had nothing to worry about." He said.

"Excepted a bucking broom and being thrown off, maybe." Rose laughed.

Cedric chuckled.

"Yeah well, I can honestly say I didn't see that one coming."

"I think, no one did."

"You know, you were rather impressive. I don't think I would have managed staying that long on the broom." Cedric looked her in the eyes.

Rose blushed.

"You'll be amazed at what you can manage when you're fearing for your life."

"True."

They remained silent for a while. Cedric coughed.

"So, are you going home for the holidays?"

Rose looked away, and focused on the snow.

"No, I'll have a better Christmas here. And you?"

Cedric remained silent. Rose turned and saw he was hesitating.

"You're going home?" Rose smiled at him.

"Yes."

"Well, have fun."

Cedric looked at Rose with a sadness in his eyes. Not pity. Just sadness, it confused her a bit.

"Well I'll have to get going."

"Okay."

Cedric walked by her and towards the great hall.

"Hey Cedric!" Rose called when he was at the end of the corridor.

He turned around and looked at Rose.

"What?!" Cedric yelled back.

"Happy holidays!"

Cedric smiled broadly at her.

"Happy holidays, Rose."

Cedric turned again and he was gone.

Rose was smiling to herself when Ron and Hermione came out of the library.

"What are you smiling about? Did you find him?"

"What… no, I got thrown out, sorry. Did you guys have any luck?"

"No, sadly."

Rose grunted.

"I'm wrecking my brain about it, I know I read that name somewhere, but I don't know where."

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is." said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them." "Very safe, as they're both dentists." said Hermione.

Once the holidays had started, Ron and Rose were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork, bread, English muffins, marshmallows. And plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

Ron also started teaching Rose wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family - in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted. Rose played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent her, and they didn't trust her at all. She wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at her, which was confusing.

"Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him."

On Christmas Eve, Rose went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.

When she woke early in the morning, however, the first thing she saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of her bed. Her heart leaped, she never got presents.

"Rose, come downstairs!" Rons voice sounded from the common room.

"Coming!"

Rose scrambled out of bed and pulled on her bathrobe. She piled the packages onto each other and made them float. She went downstairs and found Ron already surrounded by opened presents.

"Happy Christmas." He said.

"You, too." said Rose.

"I can't believe I've got some presents!"

"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Rose's. She installed herself next to Ron with enough distance between them to not confuse presents.

Rose picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was 'To Rose, from Hagrid'. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Rose blew it… it sounded a bit like an owl.

A second, very small parcel contained a note. 'We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia'. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.

"That's friendly." said Rose. Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.

"Weird!" he said. 'What a shape! This is money?"

"You can keep it." said Rose, laughing at how pleased Ron was.

"Hagrid and my aunt and uncle, so who sent these?"

"I think I know who that one's from." said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and… oh, no." he groaned. "She's made you a Weasley sweater."

Rose had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.

"Every year she makes us a sweater." said Ron, unwrapping his own. "And mine's always maroon." "That's really nice of her." said Rose, trying the fudge, which was very tasty. Her next present also contained candy, a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione. This only left one parcel. Rose picked it up and felt it. It was very light. She unwrapped it. Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

"I've heard of those." he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is… they're really rare, and really valuable."

"What is it?" Rose picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

"It's an invisibility cloak." said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is… try it on." Rose threw the cloak around her shoulders and Ron gave a yell.

"It is! Look down!" Rose looked down at her feet, but they were gone. She dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, her reflection looked back at her, just her head suspended in midair, her body completely invisible. She pulled the cloak over her head and her reflection vanished completely. She could still see clearly through the fabric of the cloak though.

"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"

Rose pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words 'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you'. There was no signature. Rose stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these." he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing." said Rose. She felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to her father?

Before she could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Rose stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. She didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look… Rose's got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

"Rose's is better than ours, though." said Fred, holding up Rose's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon." Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge." Rose chuckled at that. The twins smiled at her.

"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Rose got one."

"I… don't… want." said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either." said George. "Christmas is a time for family." They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. Rose straight up laughed at the sight of it.

Rose had never in all her life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys, mountains of roast and boiled potatoes, platters of chipolatas, tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.

These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside.

Rose pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice.

Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him. Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Rose watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Rose's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

When Rose finally left the table, she was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and her own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Rose had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.

Rose and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Rose broke in her new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron.

She suspected she wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help her so much. After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. It had been Rose's best Christmas day ever.

Yet something had been nagging at the back of her mind all day. Not until she climbed into bed was she free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.

Rose leaned over the side of her own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. Her father's... this had been her father's. She let the material flow over her hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said. She had to try it, now. Luckily, she was the only girl of her year that stayed over for Christmas so she had the dormitory for herself.

She slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around herself. Looking down at her legs, she saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling. Use it well.

Suddenly, Rose felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to her in this cloak. Excitement flooded through her as she stood there in the dark and silence. She could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know. Ron would be so excited about this. Should Rose wake him? Something held her back… her father's cloak… she felt that this time… the first time… she wanted to use it alone.

She crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Rose said nothing. She walked quickly down the corridor. Where should she go? She stopped, her heart racing, and thought. And then it came to her. The Restricted Section in the library. She'd be able to read as long as she liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.

She set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around her as she walked. The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Rose lit a lamp to see her way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Rose could feel her arm supporting it, the sight gave her the creeps. The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Step ping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, she held up his lamp to read the titles. They didn't tell her much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Rose couldn't understand. Some had no title at all.

One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Rose's neck prickled. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be. She had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, she looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught her eye. She pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on her knee, let it fall open. A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence… the book was screaming!

Rose snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. She stumbled backward and knocked over her lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, she heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside… stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, she ran for it. She passed Filch in the doorway, Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through her, and Rose slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in her ears. She came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. She had been so busy getting away from the library, she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Perhaps because it was dark, she didn't recognize where she was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, she knew, but she must be five floors above there.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section." Rose felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to her horror, it was Snape who replied. "

The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them." Rose stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see her, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into her, the cloak didn't stop her from being solid. She backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to her left. It was her only hope.

She squeezed through it, holding her breath, trying not to move it, and to her relief she managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Rose leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close.

It was a few seconds before she noticed anything about the room she had hidden in. It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket, but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Her panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Rose moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at herself but see no reflection again. She stepped in front of it.

She had to clap her hands to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She whirled around. Her heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed. For she had seen not only herself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind her. But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, she turned slowly back to the mirror. There she was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind her, were at least ten others. Rose looked over her shoulder… but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was she in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not? She looked in the mirror again.

A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. Rose reached out a hand and felt the air behind her. If she was really there, Rose'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but she felt only air… she and the others existed only in the mirror. She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and freckles. The shape of her face and nose looks 'just like mine' Rose thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Then she noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. His eyes… his eyes where just like hers, bright blue and a thad of grey - exactly the same shape. Rose was so close to the mirror now that her nose was nearly touching that of her reflection.

"Mom?" she whispered. "Dad?"

They just looked at her, smiling. And slowly, Rose looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of blue-grey eyes like hers, other noses like hers. Rose was looking at her family, for the first time in her life. The Potters smiled and waved at Rose and she stared hungrily back at them, her hands pressed flat against the glass as though she was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. She had a powerful kind of ache inside her, half joy, half terrible sadness. How long she stood there, she didn't know. The reflections did not fade and she looked and looked until a distant noise brought her back to her senses. She couldn't stay here, she had to find her way back to bed. She tore her eyes away from her mother's face and whispered.

"I'll come back." and hurried from the room.

"You could have woken me up." said Ron, crossly.

"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror."

"I'd like to see your mom and dad." Ron said eagerly.

"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."

"You can see them any old time." said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"

Rose couldn't eat. She had seen her parents and would be seeing them again tonight. She had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?

"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."

What Rose feared most was that she might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Rose's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.

"I'm freezing." said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."

"No!" Rose hissed. "I know it's here somewhere." They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Rose spotted the suit of armor.

"It's here… just here… yes!"

They pushed the door open. Rose dropped the cloak from around her shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. Her mother and father beamed at the sight of her.

"See?" Rose whispered.

"I can't see anything."

"Look! Look at them all… there are loads of them..."

"I can only see you."

"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Rose stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, she couldn't see her family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas. Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.

"Look at me!" he said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?"

"No… I'm alone… but I'm different… I look older… and I'm head boy!"

"What?"

"I am… I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to… and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup… I'm Quidditch captain, too." Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Rose.

"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? All my family are dead… let me have another look…"

"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."

"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents." "Don't push me…"

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.

"Quick!" Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Rose stood quite still, both thinking the same thing… did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.

"This isn't safe… she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."

And Ron pulled Rose out of the room. Rose couldn't help but feel resentment towards Ron. She barely got to see her parents because of him and his arguing.

The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.

"Want to play chess, Rose?" said Ron.

"No."

"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"

"No... you go..."

"I know what you're thinking about, Rose, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."

"Why not?"

"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it… and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So, what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"

"You sound like Hermione."

"I'm serious, Rose, don't go."

But Rose only had one thought in her head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop her. That third night she found her way more quickly than before. She was walking so fast she knew he was making more noise than was wise, but she didn't meet anyone. And there were his mother and father smiling at her again, and one of his grandfather's nodding happily. Rose sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop her from staying here all night with her family. Nothing at all. Except…

"So… back again, Rose?"

Rose felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She looked behind her. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Rose must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror she hadn't noticed him.

"…I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you." said Dumbledore, and Rose was relieved to see that he was smiling.

Dumbledore slipped off the desk to sit on the floor with Rose.

"You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

"It… well… it shows me my family…"

"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."

"How did you know?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible." said Dumbledore gently.

"Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Rose pondered about it and looked at the inscription above the mirror.

'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'

"I show not your face but your heart's desire." She whispered.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and smiled.

"Very good Rose. Not many can read the inscription."

"It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."

"Yes and no." said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."

It was quiet for a minute so that Rose could let it sink in. She did feel funny the last three days.

"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Rose, and I ask you not to go looking for it again."

Rose glanced up at the mirror again and saw her family, her parents and started to cry.

She will never see them again. Will she be able to remember the faces? Will they fade. They surely will. Rose was sobbing at the thought of that.

"I'm sorry. But it's for the best."

Rose nodded. Dumbledore gave her a handkerchief and Rose took it to blow her nose and wipe her tears.

"I know. I feel that it's not healthy it's just… I don't…" She looked and Dumbledore and some more tears escaped.

"I don't have anything of them, this was the first time I saw my parents."

"They're always with you Rose. Look in the mirror… a normal mirror and you'll see your mom. Look at your eyes and you'll see your dad. Be you and you're being them. I see them all the time when I look at you. You're just like them, in everything you do and say."

Dumbledore let his words sink in. Rose blew her nose again and wiped her tears for the last time.

"If you ever do run across this mirror, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Rose stood up.

"Sir… Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so." Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however." "What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Rose stared. "One can never have enough socks." said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People always insist on giving me books."

It was only when she was back in bed that it struck Rose that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, she thought, it had been quite a personal question.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Thank you for all your reviews, I love reading them and I'll do my best to work with your tips. :)

XXX D.


	11. Chapter 11: Nicolas Flamel

Chapter 11

Nicolas Flamel

Dumbledore had convinced Rose not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk.

Rose wished she could forget what she'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares. Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad." said Ron, when Rose told him about these dreams. Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Rose being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that she hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Rose was still sure she'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks.

Rose had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again. Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits.

The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Rose was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Rose found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!" George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud.

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin." Said Fred

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault." said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

This made Rose think. If Snape tried to counter the curse last time maybe he's refereeing to keep a close eye on her. The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Rose headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Rose and Ron thought was very good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment." said Ron when Rose sat down next to him. "I need to concentrate." Ron made his next move, so did Hermione.

"Ha!" said Ron, he made his next move. "Checkmate." Hermione looked at him sourly.

Ron turned to Rose.

"What's up?"

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Rose told the other two about Snape's sudden desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"You see? He is trying to protect me."

"Or he found an easier way to get to you."

"Rubbish." Rose said.

At that moment, Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Rose and Ron.

"Malfoy." said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that." Neville choked out.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy." Rose said while handing him a chocolate frog. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.

"Thanks, Rose... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Rose looked at the Famous Wizard card.

"Dumbledore again." She said. "He was the first one I ever-" She gasped and she finally remembered. Rose quickly turned the card over and stared at the back of the card. Then she looked up at Ron and Hermione.

"I've found him!" she whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here… listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Rose and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

"Nicolas Flamel." she whispered dramatically. "Is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

"The immortal stone?" Rose exclaimed.

"Yes!"

"That's what's hidden here. No wonder someone wants to steal it!"

Both girls looked at Ron and Ron just looked confused.

"Oh, honestly, don't you read? Look… read that, there." Hermione pushed the book toward Ron, and Ron read:

"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)."

"The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!" Hermione said.

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Ron. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."

"He's not after it Ron!" Rose exclaimed.

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry." said Hermione "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Rose and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one.

As the match drew nearer, however, Rose became more and more nervous, whatever she told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee? Rose didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, spying if she ran into trouble.

Potions classes kept being weird.

Snape would ignore Rose's cauldron in class, just plainly walking by it. But when she received her marks they were either a full score or a little bit less. The rest of the teachers would give a remark, a praise, even points but he just ignored it. It was awfully confusing.

Rose knew, when they wished her good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting. Rose hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as she pulled on her Quidditch robes and picked up her Nimbus Two Thousand.

Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did Rose know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Rose. Even if Rose was convinced it wasn't him.

"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis." Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.

"I know." Ron snapped. "Don't nag."

Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Rose aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door.

"Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!" Rose's heart did a somersault.

"Dumbledore?" she said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. Rose could have laughed out loud with relief she was safe. There was simply no way that whoever was trying to hurt her would dare to try again if Dumbledore was watching.

With a big smile, she followed her team onto the field. Rose focused on the task at hand. Find the snitch and fast. She had to.

Snape blew the whistle and she shot up being in the air the fastest, and started circling the field like a mad woman. Everything that gave a glint of gold got her attention. Mostly it was jewelry she saw and continued. Snape blew his whistle a few times but Rose ignored it. She blocked everything out in search of the snitch. She circled around at a quick enough pace. Low close to the field, above the audience, between the players high up and… wait… was that...? Rose sped up and zoomed down. Yes! It was, the snitch was flying above the grass.

She dived fast, faster than her first flying lessons. The audience gasped in one collective gasp and Rose could see the ground approach at a very fast pace. Most people would be dizzy or sick to the stomach at the sight of it, but not Rose. Her heart sped up, she reached out her arm and closed her fingers around the cool surface of the snitch.

Rose quickly pulled up and came to a stop inches from the ground. Her toes touched the grass. She raised her arm and yelled triumphantly.

"I've got it! I've got the snitch!"

Everyone in the audience stood up and cheered. Rose jumped off her broom, she barely could believe it. The game lasted less than five minutes.

The Gryffindors started running up the field, cheering and Rose could see Snape's face. He looked relieved and disappointed at the same time. It was an odd sight.

Rose felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done." said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Rose could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror... been keeping busy... excellent..."

Rose left the locker room alone some time later, to take her Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. She couldn't ever remember feeling happier. She'd really done something to be proud of now. No one could say she was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. She walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in her head, which was a happy blur. Gryffindors running to lift her onto their shoulders, Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed. He and Neville had gotten into a fight with Malfoy. Rose had reached the shed. She leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun.

Gryffindor in the lead. She'd done it, she'd shown Malfoy and the other Slytherins. Rose was about to put her broom away, until a movement caught her eye. A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Rose's victory faded from her mind as she watched. Could it be the one who's trying to steal the stone? Rose jumped back on her Nimbus Two Thousand and took off.

Gliding silently over the castle she saw the hooded figure enter the forest at a run. She followed. The trees were so thick she couldn't see where he had gone. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until she heard voices. She glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. She climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to her broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood the hooded figure. It was Snape! But he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Rose couldn't make out the look on his face, but she was stuttering worse than ever. Rose strained to catch what they were saying.

"... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private." said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Rose leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I -"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell." said Snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't know what you…"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly, and Rose nearly fell out of the tree. She steadied herself in time to hear Snape say something.

"- your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't -"

"Very well." Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."

He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Rose could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

"Rose, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Rose on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomftey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens." "Never mind that now." said Rose breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..." She made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what she'd seen and heard.

"So, we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy." Said Ron.

Rose felt unsure. She couldn't believe Snape was behind it all. He didn't actively pester her like other Griffyndors and she was sure he had seen her cry and shut Malfoy up because of it. She couldn't have been imagining that, could she? Why do that, when he wants to kill her? Maybe it was the other way around, maybe he suspected Professor Quirell and was pressuring him into confession. Rose though about Quirell and shook her head. He couldn't be doing this. But that means…

"… and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus'… I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through…" Said Ron

"So, you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. "It'll be gone by next Tuesday." said Rose. They looked at each other grimly. And Rose still had the feeling something wasn't right about this.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Let me know what you think.

XXX D.


	12. Chapter 12: Norbert the Dragon

Chapter 12

Norbert the dragon

Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet. Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Rose, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside.

Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Rose however still had her doubts, she kept them to herself, because Ron and Hermione would start throwing evidence towards her and she didn't want to have the same fight again.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colorcoding all her notes. Rose and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away." Sighed Ron.

"Ten weeks." Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old." Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..." Hermione snapped her head back at Rose.

"And you when are you going to start?"

Rose sighed and opened her notebook to show her color-coding. Hermione and Ron gasped.

"When did you do that." Hermione asked in surprise.

"About a month ago, I always start studying that soon. Hermione face went white and she started studying again and Ron looked at Rose as if she betrayed him.

"What? I do."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same thing. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Rose, Ron and Hermione spent most of their free time in the library to study and finish their homework.

"I'll never remember this." Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Rose, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until she heard Ron say.

"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?" Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'." he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago." said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St -"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact." said Rose. "About what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh -"

"See you later, then." said Rose. Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully. "Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in." said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him." said Rose.

"But it's against our laws." said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."

"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Rose.

"Of course there are." said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."

"So what on earths Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.

When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed.

"Who is it?"

"Hagrid, it's us!" Hagrid let them in and then shut the door quickly behind them. It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"

"Yes." said Ron. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy." Hagrid frowned at him.

"0' course I can't." he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."

Hagrid had determination on his face, not willing to let anything loose. Rose felt some tact was in order.

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know. You know everything that goes on round here." said Rose in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling.

"We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Rose went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Hermione and Ron beamed at Rose.

"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall…" he ticked them off on his fingers. "Professor Quirrell an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

"Snape?" Rone asked surprised.

"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it." Rose knew what Ron and Hermione were thinking. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything - except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy. But the same could count inversed, professor Quirrell knew everything too.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Rose anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"

"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore." said Hagrid proudly.

"Well, that's something." Rose muttered to the others.

"Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."

"Can't, Rose, sorry." said Hagrid. Rose noticed him glance at the fire. Rose looked at it, too.

"Hagrid… what's that?" But she already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

"Ah." said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard. "That's er..."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."

"Won it." said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'." said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library… Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit… it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs… what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them." He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house." she said. But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.

So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.

"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life." Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Ron, too. It was driving him nuts. She left Rose alone, she had her own schedule. Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Rose another note from Hagrid.

He had written only two words: It's hatching.

Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it. "Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing- "

"Shut up!" Rose whispered.

Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Rose didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all. Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest.

Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside. The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.

They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Rose thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.

"Hagrid." said Hermione. "How fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face. He leapt to his feet and ran to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains… it's a kid… he's runnin' back up ter the school."

Rose bolted to the door and looked out. Even before she saw the familiar back of the boy she already knew who it was. Malfoy had seen the dragon.

Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Rose, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.

"Just let him go." Rose urged. "Set him free."

"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."

They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.

"I've decided to call him Norbert." said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"

"He's lost his marbles." Ron muttered in Rose's ear.

"Hagrid." said Rose loudly. "Give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment." Hagrid bit his lip.

"I - I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."

Rose suddenly turned to Ron.

"Charlie" she said.

"You're losing it, too." said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"

"No. Charlie... your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"

And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him. The following week dragged by.

Wednesday night found Hermione and Rose sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Rose's invisibility cloak.

He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.

"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."

There was a tap on the dark window.

"It's Hedwig!" said Rose, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

The three of them put their heads together to read the note.

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter - I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week.

Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon. Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday?

They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark. Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love, Charlie

They looked at one another.

"We've got the invisibility cloak." said Rose. "It shouldn't be too difficult. I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert… and Malfoy.

There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey. Would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.

Rose and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.

"It's not just my hand." he whispered. "Although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me. I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me. I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this." Rose and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.

"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday." said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.

"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice.

"Oh no oh no… I've just remembered, Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."

Rose and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.

"It's too late to change the plan now." Rose told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.

"I won't let you in." he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage - nothin' I can't handle."

When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.

"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot - jus' playin' - he's only a baby, after all." The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Rose and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

Rose worried about the letter Malfoy had. Sure, they couldn't see them underneath her cloak but one person knew she had it. Dumbledore. If Malfoy shows this letter to him it'll be all over. Rose had no doubt in her mind that Dumbledore would find a way around the cloak, or another teacher could bar the highest tower to catch them.

They would be stuck then and they had to get rid of Norbert.

So, there was only one solution. Get the letter back from Malfoy.

When potions class started, Rose hurried and sat beside Malfoy before Crabbe or Goyle could.

"What do you think you're doing Potter." Malfoy said with a little grin tugging his lips.

Rose immediately regretted her decision, a whole hour with that obnoxious rat beside her, what was she thinking.

Crabbe and Goyle cracked their fingers and Hermione looked at her with total shock.

"I though, we might have a friendly chat."

Before Malfoy could object a voice cut through the silence.

"Crabbe, Goyle sit your asses down!"

"Potter is in our seat professor." Crabbe whined.

Snape looked at Rose with surprise but recovered quickly.

"Is your name engraved on the desk, Crabbe?"

"No, professor."

"Then it's not your seat. Now sit down!"

Malfoy nodded in their direction and they went to sit somewhere to the back of the class.

The Gryffindors looked at Rose like they had seen a ghost and some even seemed disgusted. Rose blushed but ignored it. She was doing it for her friend.

"Follow the instructions to make the potion. Time starts now."

Everyone turned to their cauldrons.

"So, Potter. Are you going to tell me why you're sitting next to me? Did you finally realize you're hanging with the wrong crowd?"

Rose wanted to punch him in the face.

"You know why."

"Are you scared for your hairy brute of a friend. He really peaked in his own stupidity, now didn't he? Wait until…"

"What do you want Malfoy?" Rose snapped.

Icy blue eyes pierced into hers.

"What are you gaining out of this?"

"The downfall of Gryffindor. The points you'll cost them, and the point I'll gain will give me that."

"What do I have to do with this? This is on Hagrid, you'll never be able to prove I had something to do with it." Snapped Rose, while preparing the potion. There was no way he knew that she knew he had the letter. All she needed was to see where he put it.

She glanced to his potion. He seemed distracted and had messed some instructions up, Rose hid her grin.

"Oh, but I do."

"How then?" Rose looked in his eyes defiantly.

"I've got your letter." He said triumphantly. "That idiot of a Weasley left it in the book I borrowed."

"What letter?" Rose put on a confused face.

Malfoy bent over and pulled the letter out of his bag.

"This letter. I know you're going to send him off at midnight on Saturday."

"What if we don't?"

"You will, it's the only way to get rid of it. And even if you don't, I still have the letter as proof and they can check the savage's hut for proof."

Malfoy put the letter back in his bag al smiled at her. A dominant smile, like he owned her now.

"So, what?"

The smile faltered. Rose smirked and concentrated. She visualized the position of the letter and willed it to float out of his back and into hers. She repeated this visualization over and over.

"I'm not implicated in it. Neither is Hermione."

Malfoy looked at her with surprise.

"You would let your friends take the fall? Weasley and that great oaf?"

"No, see, that's the difference between you and me. You would let your friends take the fall, you'd even push them to fall. My friends wouldn't let me get involved. My friends would protect me. Do you even have friends like that, Malfoy?"

Malfoy's cheeks turned pink with anger.

Rose bent over to discreetly looked into her bag. It had worked, the letter was there.

"Anyway, you lose."

"What are you…"

Rose pulled out the letter triumphantly and grinned at him.

"You should watch your things Malfoy. Are you always that careless?" Rose said while pushing the letter into the fire underneath her cauldron. Burning it instantly.

Malfoy jerked up and snatched his bag. Not finding the letter.

"You…"

Rose smiled sweetly at him and then turned to Professor Snape.

"Professor, I think my potion is done."

Malfoy turned white again when he realized he hadn't looked at his potion in a while. It should be dark blue but it was grey.

Like always Snape passed, looked in her cauldron, took a vial and took off without word. But this time not after a disapproving look in Malfoys cauldron.

Malfoy spent the rest of the hour trying to correct his mistakes but only made it worse.

Normally the lesson would end with Snape making an example out of him, even if his potion was nowhere near as good as Hermione's or Rose's, but this time he silently ended the class.

Rose happily exited the classroom and started walking towards Hermione.

But someone painfully grabbed her arm and yanked her back and pushed her against the wall.

"You think you're so smart eh, Potter." Malfoy spat.

"Hey!" Hermione rushed over and some of the Gryffindors turned with surprise and halted.

Before things could get out of hands Snape strode over.

"What's going on?"

"Malfoy pushed her against the wall, Professor."

Malfoy let go of her arm like his fingers were burned.

"Potter messed with my potion, Professor."

"Do you have proof of this?"

Malfoy remained silent.

"Everybody out!"

Rose couldn't believe how lucky she was. Once she and Hermione were out of earshot from the others, Rose happily whispered to her.

"I did it! I stole back the letter and burned it." Hermione eyes grew wide.

"How did you manage that?"

"I just needed to provoke him to get him talking and stole it right from under him." Rose grinned.

Hermione looked at her with a thinking face.

"What?"

"Nothing. But that's good, now he has nothing to proof it."

"Exactly! Now we just have to be careful not to get busted."

They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey." said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Rose as though the teddy was having his head torn off.

"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Rose and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves.

"Mommy will never forget you!"

The crate was really heavy and they were stumbling a lot on the way to the castle. Rose decided help it a bit along and focused on carrying the crate with her mind as well. It worked, when they reached the castle they walked a lot more stable now. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another… even one of Rose's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.

"Nearly there!" Rose panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower. Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared. Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you…"

"You don't understand, Professor. Rose Potter's coming. She's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on… I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.

"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"

"Don't." Rose advised her. Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie's friends were a cheery lot.

They showed Rose and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Rose and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much. At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them.

No more dragon. Malfoy in detention. What could spoil their happiness? The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well." he whispered. "We are in trouble."

They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.

* * *

Hey guy's,

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

So I'm going on vacation next week. No worries since this is a reposting, I'm well prepared and can keep the updates coming on a regular basis.

I love reading your comments and tips and I'm well aware there are still a lot of mistakes in these drafts. (This was my first big fanfic) I'm planning on rewriting them some time in the future but for now I'm simply reposting. I'm working on some other stuff at AO3 (Supernatural & Daredevil) also I'm writing my own stuff (not fanfiction) and I have my job. So there's a lot on my plate right now. Still I love doing this and I promise these get better the further we get into the story.

But don't hold back with the comments, I like reading feedback.

XXX D.


	13. Chapter 13: The Forbidden Forest

Chapter 13

The Forbidden Forest

Things couldn't have been worse.

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Rose's brain, each more feeble than the last. She couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for them being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

Had Rose thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Rose!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a dragon."

Poor Neville, Rose had made up her mind she was going to deny everything about the dragon. Malfoy didn't have any proof anymore. Rose put up a confused face, McGonagall looked from Neville to Rose. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.

"I keep hearing things about dragons and ludicrous tales. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.

"Professor, I don't know anything about any dragons. Me and Hermione were studying astronomy. We really wanted to be thorough and decided to re-examine the constellations. I know we shouldn't have but we want to be good at our exams." Hermione had surprise on her face for a split second and then she quickly tried to look like it was true.

McGonagall looked at them with doubt.

"You two are the brightest witches that I know, I doubt you would have difficulty with astronomy."

"Professor, the reason we look bright is because we work hard to be. Hermione and I didn't know anything from the wizarding world, before we came here. We've been working extra hard to catch up for the difference."

McGonagall looked to Neville with flaring nostrils.

"What is all this ridiculousness about dragons then?"

Neville looked as if he was going to faint where he stood.

"Mister Longbottom?"

"I…I don't know... Draco told me…" Neville started to spill tears. "I…I just wanted to help."

"Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Potter."

"Draco has been pestering Neville from the beginning of the year. Calling him names, cursing him in the hallway. I don't have any proof of this and you don't have to believe me but I think that could clarify things."

McGonagall sighed.

"I'm very disappointed in you two. It may have been for studying purposes but four students out of bed in one night is never heard of. You'll receive the save punishment as mister Malfoy. It's only fair. Fifty points each and detention."

Rose's face flushed. The points she won with Quidditch gone and more, much more. A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Rose felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

Rose didn't sleep all night. She could hear Hermione sobbing into her pillow for what seemed like hours. Rose couldn't think of anything to say to comfort her. She knew Hermione, like herself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Rose Potter, the famous Rose Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, her and a couple of other stupid first years. From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Rose was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on her, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Rose went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted her. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as she walked past them, whistling and cheering.

"Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

Only Ron, Hermione and the Weasley twins stood by her.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them." Said Ron.

"That's true." Agreed Fred

"We did." Chimed George.

"Well, you guys never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have you?" said Rose miserably.

"Well – no." Fred admitted.

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Rose swore to herself not to meddle in things that weren't her business from now on. She'd had it with sneaking around and spying. She felt so ashamed of herself that she went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Rose during practice, and if they had to speak about her, they called her 'the Seeker'.

Except the Weasley twins. Thank god for them. They still joked with her and talked to her during training. Even if they were met with cold glares from the rest.

The tension reached his peak after training one night when everyone was changing.

"I don't know if we can fill the gap even if we win. If the 'seeker hadn't been so stupid and selfish'…" Katie said while she shot an angry look in Rose's direction.

Rose just swallowed heavily and sensed how tears were starting to form.

"I've about had it with this!" George suddenly burst. He had been watching her.

The team look surprised at him. Even his twin was surprised.

"She didn't lose all those points on her own. She lost fifty points and that's it. If I count all the points my brother and I have cost Gryffindor during the year, it's a lot more than fifty. We're young and stupid and we're allowed to make mistakes but the way the school is treating her is too much. The way you guys are treating her is too much. We're supposed to be a team remember."

Everyone looked shocked and a bit ashamed.

Rose quietly put on her robes and left the room.

"Rose…" George called after her but Rose kept walking.

On her way to Gryffindor's common rooms, she bumped into her least favorite person on this planet. Malfoy.

"Thank you for making it easy, Potter. I didn't even need the letter." He smirked.

Cold hot rage fueled through Rose's veins now.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Rose yelled. And as she yelled Malfoy got flung against the wall a foot of the ground. He stayed there, like he was glued to the wall.

"Put me down!" Malfoy squirmed. Fear glinting in his eyes.

"Ever since the train you've had it in for me! Is your ego so fragile it got bruised that I didn't want to be your friend? Get a life Malfoy! And leave me alone!"

"Rose!"

Running footsteps got closer.

Oh god, don't let it be a teacher. But when Rose looked up, it was Cedric who was running towards her. He looked from her to Draco and back. His eyes widened.

Rose blushed, shot and angry glare at Draco and he dropped to the floor.

"You'll pay for this Potter!" and with that Draco ran off.

"How did you…?"

"I don't know."

"You can use non-wand magic at will?"

"Sometimes…"

Cedric just looked at her in awe.

"Do you know how rare that is?"

"I had a feeling…"

Rose started to walk away.

"Rose…"

She turned towards him.

"I'm sorry for what's happening, you made a mistake and the whole school is making you pay for it." Said Cedric. Rose shrugged.

"It'll pass. I don't know if you'll win the housecup, but they'll get over it…"

Rose sensed how tears were beginning to form again.

"Thanks. I… I have to go."

Rose ran from him.

Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Rose, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Rose was glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying she had to do kept her mind off her misery. She, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Rose's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern her was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on her own one afternoon, she heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As she drew closer, she heard Quirrell's voice.

"No… no… not again, please…"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Rose moved closer.

"All right… all right…" she heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight.

Rose didn't think Quirrell had even noticed her. She waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Rose was halfway toward it before she remembered what he'd promised herself about not meddling. It had to be Snape, right? All the evidence seemed to point in that direction, but it still felt wrong. Whoever it was, Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.

Rose went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Rose told them what she'd heard.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell…" "There's still Fluffy, though." said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid." said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.

"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So, what do we do, Rose?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Rose could. "Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves, we'll be thrown out for sure."

"We don't have any proof Hermione. We can't do anything without proof."

"If we just do a bit of poking around …" Ron said.

"No." said Rose flatly. "We've done enough poking around." She pulled a map of Jupiter toward her and started to learn the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Rose, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall

Rose had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. She half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Rose, she felt they deserved what they'd got.

At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville.

Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Rose and he exchanged angry glares.

"Follow me." said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Rose wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Rose could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Rose's heart rose, if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. Her relief must have showed in her face, because Filch said.

"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl… it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night. There's all sorts of things in there… werewolves, I heard."

Neville clutched the sleeve of Rose's robe and made a choking noise.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.

"Abou' time." he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Rose, Hermione?"

"You shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid." said Filch coldly. "They're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn." said Filch. "For what's left of them." he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.

"I'm not going in that forest." he said, and Rose was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice. "Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts." said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yehve got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this…"

"He'd tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts." Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"

Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then." said Hagrid. "Now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment." He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest. "Look there." said Hagrid. "See that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there, bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang." said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang." said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward." said Hagrid. "So me, Rose, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."

The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Rose, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves. Rose saw that Hagrid looked very worried.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Rose asked.

"Not fast enough." said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before." They walked past a mossy tree stump. Rose could hear running water, there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter - GET BEHIND THAT TREE!" Hagrid seized Rose and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby, it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it." he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."

"A werewolf?" Rose suggested.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now." They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!"

And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. A centaur. Rose and Hermione's jaws dropped.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan." said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?" He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid." said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan." said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Rose Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed." said Hermione faintly.

"Good evening." said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm -"

"A bit." said Hermione timidly.

"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

"Yeah." said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?" Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.

"Always the innocent are the first victims." he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now." "Yeah." said Hagrid. "But have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight." Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home." said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?" Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said.

"The forest hides many secrets." A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan. "Hullo, Bane." said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?" Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward.

"Mars is bright tonight." he said simply.

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Rose and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.

"Never, try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon." said Hagrid irritably.

"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Rose.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before."

They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Rose kept looking nervously over her shoulder. She had the nasty feeling they were being watched. She was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.

"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place." The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Rose's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others? At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming.

Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione. Rose, you go with Fang an' this idiot." Hagrid inched closer to Rose.

"I'm sorry." Hagrid whispered to Rose. "But he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

So, Rose set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Rose thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by.

Rose could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.

"Look…" she murmured, holding out her arm to stop Malfoy. Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer. It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Rose had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.

Rose had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made her freeze where she stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered...

Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Rose, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

Rose saw how Malfoy opened his mouth and she quickly pulled him against a tree and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Do you want it to attack us?" Rose whispered.

Malfoy shook his head.

Fang whined and this made the hooded figure turn towards them. Rose didn't know what came over her but she stepped forward and pushed Draco behind her.

The hooded figure looked right at her, unicorn blood was dribbling down its front.

Rose turned towards Draco.

"Run! Get Hagrid! Do the sparks." Malfoy looked at her with big eyes and raised his wand the sparks came flying out and he bolted. He threw one more glance at her and the ran for his life. Fang took his example and ran as well.

Rose turned her attention towards the figure and saw how it got to its feet and came swiftly toward her. She readied her wand but a sudden pain pierced her head. It was a pain like she had never felt before. The figure crept closer but the pain paralyzed her. It was as though her scar were on fire. Half blinded, she staggered backward.

She heard hooves behind her, galloping, and something jumped clean over Rose, charging at the figure. The pain in Rose's head was so bad she fell to her knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When she looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over her, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Rose to her feet.

"Yes… thank you… what was that?"

The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Rose, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Rose's forehead.

"You are the Potter girl." he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time… especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze." he said, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Rose could clamber onto his back.

There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter girl. The quicker she leaves this forest, the better."

"What have you been telling her?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" Ronan pawed the ground nervously.

"I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best." he said in his gloomy voice. Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Rose had to grab his shoulders to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

And Firenze whisked around, with Rose clutching on as best she could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.

Rose didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Why's Bane so angry?" she asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"

Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Rose to keep her head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Rose's question.

They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Rose thought Firenze didn't want to talk to her anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.

"Rose Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"

"I read about it. It can keep you alive but with horrible consequences, I don't know the details." said Rose, startled by the odd question. "I've never seen any uses for it in potions, I read it in another book."

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn." said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Rose stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.

"But who'd be that desperate?" she wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"

"It is." Firenze agreed. "Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power… something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course, the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who…"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Rose's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met 'Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die'. It couldn't be, could it? She wondered about him too, but she never though she would face him or come in close contact with him…

"Do you mean." Rose croaked. "That was Vol-"

"Rose! Rose, are you all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

"I'm fine." said Rose, hardly knowing what she was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."

"This is where I leave you." Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." Rose slid off his back.

"Good luck, Rose Potter." said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Rose shivering behind him. Hermione looked at her with big eyes. Draco came running to and looked at Rose with big eyes as well.

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Rose roughly shook him awake.

In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Rose began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.

Rose couldn't sit down. She paced up and down in front of the fire. She was still shaking.

"The thief wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought the thief just wanted to get rich..."

"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. Rose wasn't listening.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"So, all I've got to wait for now is that the stone gets stolen." Rose went on feverishly. "Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.

"Rose, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. When Rose pulled back her sheets, she found her invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it: Just in case.


	14. Chapter 14: Through the Trapdoor

Chapter 14

Through the trapdoor

In years to come, Rose would never quite remember how she had managed to get through her exams when she half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell. They had practical exams as well.

Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers.

Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Rose did the best she could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in her forehead, which had been bothering her ever since her trip into the forest.

Hermione thought Rose had a bad case of exam nerves because Rose couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Rose kept being woken by her old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Rose had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Rose. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Rose couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be." said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

"He told us it was not necessary."

"I know but I wanted to be sure."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree.

The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more studying." Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Rose, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." Rose was rubbing her forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" she burst out angrily.

"My scar keeps hurting… it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey." Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill." said Rose. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"Rose, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Rose nodded, but she couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something she'd forgotten to do, something important. When she tried to explain this, Hermione said.

"That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Rose was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. She watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but… Rose suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something." said Rose. She had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd." said Rose, scrambling up the grassy slope. "That what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Rose, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo." he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please." said Ron, but Rose cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno." said Hagrid casually. "He wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head… that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up." Rose sank down next to the bowl of peas.

"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up." said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."

"And did he… did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Rose asked, try ing to keep her voice calm.

"Well… yeah… how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep…"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"

Rose, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore." said Rose. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either the thief or Voldemort under that cloak… it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

"We'll just have to…" Rose began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you three doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore." said Hermione, rather bravely, Rose and Ron thought.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?" Rose swallowed - now what?

"It's sort of secret." She said, but she wished at once she hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago." she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone?" said Rose frantically. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time…"

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter."

"Look." said Rose, throwing caution to the winds. "Professor… it's about the Sorcerer's tone…" Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know…?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think… I know… that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow." she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor…"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about." she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." But they didn't.

"It's tonight." said Rose, once she was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot.

"The thief's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"But what can we…" Hermione gasped.

Rose and Ron wheeled round. Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon." he said smoothly. They stared at him. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this." he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were…" Rose began, without any idea what she was going to say.

"You want to be more careful." said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Rose flushed. They turned to go outside and Snape strode off in the direction of the staffroom. Out on the stone steps, Rose turned to the others.

"Right, here's what we've got to do." he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape… wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that." "Why me?"

"It's obvious." said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice. "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong...'"

"Oh, shut up." said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor." Rose told Ron. "Come on."

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper. "I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you 've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"

Rose and Ron went back to the common room, Rose had just said.

"At least Hermione's on Snape's tail." When the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

"I'm sorry, Rose!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him and I've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went." "Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Rose said.

The other two stared at him. She was pale and her eyes were glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT!" Rose shouted. Objects in the common room started trembling, she was furious, not at her friends but at the situation.

"Don't you understand? If Voldemort gets hold of the Stone, he's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" She glared at them.

"You're right Rose." said Hermione in a small voice.

"I'll use the invisibility cloak." said Rose. "It's just lucky I got it back."

"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.

"All - all three of us?" Rose instantly calmed down and so did the objects in the room.

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"

"Of course not." said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful..."

"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."

"Not if I can help it." said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Rose any more, after all. And the Weasley twins where nowhere to be seen. This was the first night she hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Rose and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the cloak." Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Rose ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. She pulled out the cloak and then her eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given her for Christmas. She pocketed it to use on Fluffy. She didn't feel much like singing. Rose ran back down to the common room.

"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us… if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own…"

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing." said Rose, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. Neville stared at their guilty faces.

"You're going out again." he said.

"No, no, no." said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

Rose looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, the thief might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

"You can't go out." said Neville. "You'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble." "You don't understand." said Rose. "This is important." But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

"I won't let you do it." he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!" "Neville." Ron exploded. "Get away from that hole and don't be an idiot…"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us." said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Rose sighed and stepped forward.

"Neville I'm really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" Rose chanted, pointed her wand to Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body went rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Ron whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind." said Rose miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain." said Ron. "You'll understand later, Neville." said Rose as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once." Ron whispered in Rose's ear, but Rose shook her head. As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

Rose had a sudden idea.

"Peeves." She said, in a hoarse whisper, she made it as manly as possible. "The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir." he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake… I didn't see you… of course I didn't, you're invisible… forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves." croaked Rose. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, sir, I most certainly will." said Peeves, rising up in the air again.

"Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off

"Brilliant, Rose!" whispered Ron

A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor… and the door was already ajar. "Well, there you are." Rose said quietly. "The thief's already got past Fluffy." Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Rose turned to the other two.

"If you want to go back, I won't blame you." she said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now." "Don't be stupid." said Ron.

"We're coming." said Hermione. Rose pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.

"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.

"Looks like a harp." said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."

"It must wake up the moment you stop playing." said Rose. "Well, here goes..." She put Hagrid's flute to her lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Rose hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased… it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing." Ron warned Rose as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.

"I think we'll be able to pull the door open." said Ron, peering over the dog's back.

"Want to go first, Hermione?"

"No, I don't!"

"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Nothing… just black… there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."

Rose, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.

"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."

Rose handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep. Rose climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said.

"If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"

"Right." said Ron.

"See you in a minute, I hope..." And Rose let go. Cold, damp air rushed past her as she fell down, down, down and - FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. She sat up and felt around, her eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though she was sitting on some sort of plant.

"It's okay!" she called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor.

"It's a soft landing, you can jump!"

Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Rose.

"What's this stuff?" were his first words.

"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!"

The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Rose's other side.

"We must be miles under the school." she said.

"Lucky this plant thing's here, really." said Ron.

"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!" She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Rose and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"

"I know what that is." Rose yelled.

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help." snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Rose gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp. That's it. Hermione light a fire!" Rose choked.

"Yes… of course… but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"

"Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.

Rose as joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off her face.

"Lucky Rose doesn't lose her head in a crisis… 'there's no wood,' honestly." said Ron.

"This way," said Rose, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.

All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Rose was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, she remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon… Norbert had been bad enough...

"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. Rose listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?"

"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."

"There's light ahead, I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.

"Probably." said Rose. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run."

She took a deep breath, covered her face with her arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at her any second, but nothing happened. She reached the door untouched. She pulled the handle, but it was locked. The other two followed her. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.

Rose tried concentrating on the lock to unlock it like last time but she couldn't focus, it was like the lock had a shield.

"Now what?" said Ron.

"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration." said Hermione. They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?

"They're not birds!" Rose said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean..." she looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys.

"... yes… look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"

"But there are hundreds of them!" Ron examined the lock on the door. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."

They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. Not for nothing, though, was Rose the youngest Seeker in a century. She had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, she noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.

"That one!" she called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."

Ron went speeding in the direction that Rose was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.

"We've got to close in on it!" Rose called, not taking her eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above… Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!" Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Rose streaked after it, it sped toward the wall, Rose leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. They landed quickly, and Rose ran to the door, the key struggling in her hand. She rammed it into the lock and turned… it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

"Ready?" Rose asked the other two, her hand on the door handle. They nodded. She pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Rose, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly… the towering white chessmen had no faces.

"Now what do we do?" Rose whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room." Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

"How?" said Hermione nervously.

"I think." said Ron. "We're going to have to be chessmen." He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two. "This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..." Rose and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Until finally he said something "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess…"

"We're not offended." said Rose quickly. "Just tell us what to do."

"Well, Rose, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you next to him instead of that castle." "What about you?"

"I'm going to be a knight." said Ron. The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Rose, Ron, and Hermione took.

"White always plays first in chess." said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."

A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Rose's knees were trembling. What if they lost?

"Rose… move diagonally four squares to the right."

Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.

"Had to let that happen." said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on." Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Rose and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.

"We're nearly there." he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..." The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"Yes..." said Ron softly. "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."

"NO!" Rose and Hermione shouted.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me… that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Rose!"

"But -"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron -"

"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" There was no alternative.

"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go… now, don't hang around once you've won." He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor. Hermione screamed but stayed on her square. The white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shaking, Rose moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at Rose's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Rose and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.

"What if he's…?"

"He'll be all right." said Rose, trying to convince herself. "What do you reckon's next?"

"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare, Flitwick must've put charms on the keys, McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive, that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."

They had reached another door.

"All right?" Rose whispered.

"Go on." Rose pushed it open. A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.

"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one." Rose whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs.

"Come on, I can't breathe." She pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next, but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.

"Snape's." said Rose. "What do we have to do?"

They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either, it was purple.

At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.

"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Rose looked over her shoulder to read it:

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will let you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;

Second, different are those who stand at either end,

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;

Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;

Fourth, the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

Hermione and Rose sighed and smiled at each other.

"It's a riddle!" they exclaimed together.

"Brilliant." said Hermione. "This isn't magic… it's logic… a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."

"Thank god we do." Rose smiled back.

Hermione analyzed the text again.

"Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

Rose and Hermione read the text several times and studied the bottles as well.

"I found the one for the black fire." Rose exclaimed.

"And I the one to go back." Hermione said happily.

They both looked at the bottles. The one to go back had enough liquid in it, but the one to go forward only had enough for one person left.

"There's only enough there for one of us." Rose said. "That's hardly one swallow."

They looked at each other.

"You drink the one to go back." said Rose. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold the thief off for a while, but I'm no match for a full-grown witch or wizard."

"But Rose… what if You-Know-Who's with him?"

"Well… I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Rose, pointing at her scar. "I might get lucky again." Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Rose and threw her arms around her. "Hermione!"

"Rose… you're a great witch, you know."

"I'm not as good as you. You're smarter and you know it." said Rose, blushing.

"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things… friendship and bravery and… oh Rose… be careful!"

"You drink first." said Rose. "You are sure that's the right one, aren't you?"

"Positive." said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered. "It's not poison?" said Rose anxiously.

"No, but it's like ice."

"Quick, go, before it wears off."

"Good luck… take care."

"GO!" Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

Rose took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. She turned to face the black flames and calmed herself. Panic was swelling up and she would have none of that. It was the right thing to do. She needed to stop Voldemort.

"Here I come." she said, and she drained the little bottle in one gulp. It was indeed as though ice was flooding her body. She put the bottle down and walked forward, she braced herself, saw the black flames licking her body, but couldn't feel them, for a moment she could see nothing but dark fire then she was on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there but it wasn't Snape, she knew it. It wasn't even Voldemort.


End file.
